Melur (Tamil Nadu): Three persons, including two women, were killed and more than 15 others injured after a private omnibus rammed into a stationary bus on the Trichy–Madurai National Highway near Melur in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
The accident took place at Pallapatti, within the limits of the Kottampatti police station. According to police sources, a private omnibus travelling from Chennai to Madurai had stopped near a roadside tea stall in the Pallapatti suburban area. While the driver was away from the vehicle, another private omnibus, heading from Chennai to Marthandam, allegedly lost control and crashed into the rear of the parked bus with considerable force.
The impact of the collision led to the immediate death of three passengers, identified as Kanagaranjitham (65), Sudarshan (23), and an unidentified woman. Several passengers were trapped inside the damaged vehicles following the crash.
More than 15 passengers from both buses sustained injuries of varying severity. Local residents rushed to the spot and assisted in the rescue operations before emergency services arrived. The injured were shifted to government hospitals in Melur and Madurai using 108 ambulances and private vehicles, police said.
On receiving information, a police team led by Melur Deputy Superintendent of Police Sivakumar, along with personnel from the Kottampatti police station, reached the accident site to supervise rescue work and restore traffic on the busy highway.
A case has been registered, and investigations are underway to ascertain whether driver fatigue, overspeeding, or negligence led to the fatal accident.
