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Eleven passengers including nine women were killed, and over 50 were injured after two buses collided head-on near Kummangudi in Tamil Nadu's Sivaganga district on Sunday, November 30.
The accident took place around 5 pm when a bus travelling from Karaikudi to Devakottai and another bus heading from Devakottai to Dindigul, both belonging to Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), crashed while passing near Vivekananda Polytechnic College.
Eight passengers, including the driver of one of the buses, P Sendrayan (36) of Batlagundu, died on the spot.
Out of eleven deceased, six persons have been identified. They include M Chellam (55) of Chokkalingapuram, V Mallika (61) of Ariyakudi, S Muthumari (60) of Singampunari, R Kalpana (36) of Karaikudi, D Gunalakshmi (55) of the Sri Lankan Tamils rehabilitation camp at Devakottai, and A Deivanai (55) of Pudukkottai.
Reports indicate that the accident occurred when one of the buses swerved to avoid hitting a woman who was crossing the road, resulting in the fatal crash.
Superintendent of Police R Shiva Prasad along with police personnel and fire and rescue teams, rushed to the spot and carried out rescue operations.
The injured were shifted to the Karaikudi Government Hospital, Thirupathur Government Hospital and the Sivaganga Government Hospital.
Chief Minister MK Stalin expressed his condolences and deputed Minister KR Periyakaruppan and the district collector to the spot to coordinate rescue operations.
He also announced a relief package of Rs 3 lakh each for the families of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh each for those seriously injured, and Rs 50,000 for those with minor injuries, from the Chief Minister's General Relief Fund.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi have also conveyed his condolences and announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured, from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.
President Droupadi Murmu, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami also condoled the deaths.