Six persons were killed in a road accident involving two TNSTC buses and a van at Gangaikondan in Tirunelveli early on Sunday morning. A total of 17 people were injured.
The incident happened when the driver of a van, owing to poor visibility during rain, stopped the vehicle on the Madurai-Tirunelveli four-lane highway, with 20 members of a family from Karaikudi in Sivanganga district on-board while travelling to the Tiruchendur temple.
A TNSTC bus travelling from Madurai to Nagercoil, in order to avoid a collision with the van, veered away from it only to crash into the median nearby. Soon after, both the drivers got into a heated argument.
After the matter was resolved, when the driver of the TNSTC bus was backing up the vehicle before resuming the journey, another State-owned bus travelling from Madurai to Tirunelveli crashed into the bus, which in turn rammed into the van standing in front, resulting in a pile-up. The van was overturned in the accident.
Four persons travelling in the buses died on the spot.
M. Prithiv of Vadipatti in Madurai died on the way to the Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital, while Thavasimuthu of Kanniyakumari succumbed to injuries at the hospital.
Amjedkumar of Thuraiyur in Tiruchi, Murugan, Jeevaroobi, Baskaran also died. Several others are receiving treatment at the hospital.
