Salem (Tamil Nadu), March 20 At least seven people were killed and several others injured when a TNSTC bus collided head-on with vehicles near the Ariyanoor village in the district on Friday, police said.
The accident occurred when a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus travelling from Coimbatore to Salem veered off the road at Uthamasolapuram near Ariyanoor on the Salem-Coimbatore national highway after the bus driver suddenly lost control. It crashed into a two-wheeler, and a goods carrier (auto) carrying about ten people in the opposite direction before entering a petrol bunk.
Police said that five of the deceased were from the same family returning from a function in the goods auto. A five-year-old girl and an 11-month-old infant were also among the victims.
A woman and her son who were travelling on a two-wheeler were also killed.
About ten people who were injured have been admitted to the government hospital in Salem for treatment, a police official said, and added that none of the bus passengers were killed in the accident.
Union Minister L Murugan and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami expressed their deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery.
In separate posts on 'X', they claimed that the accident occurred due to "poor maintenance" of the bus.