TIRUCHY: In a ghastly road mishap, at least 10 persons including three women were killed on the spot and 48 others injured when a private omnibus collided with a mini-lorry at Valanadu Kaikatti near Manaparai in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruchy district on Friday.
Police said that over 50 persons hailing from K Ammapatti village in Dindigul district were proceeding to their family temple at Unaiyur near Thuvarangkurichi when the accident occurred. The mini-lorry driver attempted to cross the national highway from the approach road when the omnibus collided with it.
Under the impact, the mini-lorry overturned into a 15-ft deep roadside ditch. While eight persons including three women were killed on the spot, two others succumbed to their injuries at Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government hospital here. The deceased were identified as Ramkumar, Ponnar, Raja, Gurumayee, Rathinam, Subbammal, Ponnammal, Nallayaiah, Karuppusamy and Algan.
Of the 48 injured, 21 were admitted to the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government hospital here, while the others were admitted to the government hospital at Manaparai, and private hospitals at Manaparai and Tiruchy, police added. Tiruchy collector K S Palanisamy and other top police officials visited the accident spot and the hospitals where the injured were admitted.
Valanadu police registered a case and are looking for the omnibus driver, who is said to be absconding. Following the mishap, vehicular traffic on the Tiruchy-Madurai national high way was severely affected for more than an hour.
