Four persons were killed and 33 others sustained injuries in an accident involving two private buses near Panruti in Cuddalore district on Monday. The driver and conductor of a private bus and two passengers were killed.
According to the police, about 50 passengers were traveling in a private bus from Panruti that was bound for Cuddalore. The bus was near Melpattampakkam, when the driver Angalamani, 33 of Panruti lost control of the vehicle due to a tyre bursting, and the vehicle collided head-on with another private bus that was proceeding to Tiruvannamalai from Cuddalore.
Angalamani, the driver of the Cuddalore-bound bus, Murugan, conductor of the Tiruvananmalai bound bus, and S. Srinivasan, a passenger died on the spot. The identity of the fourth person is yet to be ascertained.
Traffic was disrupted for over two hours on the Cuddalore-Panruti highway due to the accident. A case has been registered.
Earlier, Cuddalore Collector A. Arun Thamburaj, Panruti MLA T. Velmurgan and Cuddalore MLA G. Ayappan visited the injured at the Government Headquarters Hospital in Cuddalore.
CM Stalin announces solatium
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, in a statement, condoled the deaths of the four people in the accident and announced a solatium of ₹2 lakh to the families of each of the deceased. He also announced a compensation of ₹50,000 for each of those who sustained serious injuries and ₹25,000 for each of those with minor injuries.
An official press release said, Mr. Stalin, who is touring Tiruvarur district, has instructed Ministers M.R.K. Panneerselvam and C.V. Ganesan (both hail from Cuddalore district) and the Cuddalore District Collector to coordinate relief measures and to visit the hospital to ensure proper medical treatment to those injured in the accident.
