One dies, 16 hurt as bus falls off bridge in Salem

Salem: One person was killed and 16 others injured as a private  bus slipped off a bridge here in the early hours of Wednesday.

Police sources said that the ill-fated Pollachi-bound private bus, carrying 28 passengers, left Bengaluru on Tuesday night by 10:30 pm.

When the bus was travelling along the 'Butterfly bridge' at Kondalampatti area near Salem town at around 4:30 am on Wednesday, it slipped off the bridge and plunged 30 feet down to the ground.

As trapped passengers screamed for help, people nearby ran to help them. Fire and rescue staff and police personnel including Salem Commissioner of Police, Sankar, rushed to the spot and made arrangements for rescue operations.

The well-grown bushes around the accident site proved to be a hindrance for easy rescue operations.  However, the cops and firemen rescued all the passengers and the bus crew.

But, one Dhanasekaran (42) hailing from Tiruppur, succumbed to injuries on the spot.

Sixteen persons, including Saravanan, the bus driver, Faizal Khan, Sivashankar, Jayalakshmi,  Prabhaka-ran all hailing from Bengaluru, Shanti (Tiruchy), Ravi (Krishnagiri), Eswari (Palani), Ashwin and Duraisamy (Erode), Syed (Vaniampadi), Vasudevan, Abinash and Dhil

Mohd (Tirupur), who sustained grievous injuries were rushed to the government hospital in Salem, where there are being given medical treatment.

According to police sources, over speeding and heavy luggage stacked on the roof of the bus, are said to be reasons for the accident.

Meanwhile, Collector of Salem, Rohini, who inspected the spot, and later met the injured at the hospital, said she would order an RTO enquiry into the accident.