Five persons, including a 10 year old boy, died after a private bus fell into a gorge near Yercaud hills, Tamil Nadu, on Tuesday, April 30. The bus rolled down a hill while taking a turn at a hairpin bend at around 5.30 pm.
The bus coming from Yercaud was heading to Salem. According to the police, the driver lost control of the vehicle near the 13th hairpin bend, causing it to wobble down the hillside. Rescue crew members and the locals rushed to the accident scene and shifted the injured passengers to Salem Government Hospital. The bus was carrying 70 passengers. Among them 22 are severely injured and availing treatment.
Speaking to TNM, the Yercaud police station police said that four out of five deceased have been identified. According to TNIE, the deceased were identified as C Munishwaran (10) of Tiruchengode, S Karthick (37) of Salem, K Hariram (57) of Salem, and R Madhu (60) of Salem.
Speaking about the incident, Salem District Collector R Brindha Devi announced that henceforth only “qualified drivers” would be permitted to operate vehicles on the road. She said that the police and road transport authorities would verify the drivers' credentials before allowing vehicles to operate. A stringent speed limit of 30 km/h would be imposed on ghat roads, the collector said.
Responding to the incident, Union Minister of State L Murugan expressed his condolences. The minister asked the Tamil Nadu government to offer adequate compensation for the injured and the deceased families.