At TN mishap site, tell-tale grisly remains

 Karthik Raja could hardly rejoice his escape from the jaws of death in the bus accident that killed 22 people near Kaveripakkam in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday night, when he realised the tragedy had claimed his wife’s life.

After recovering from the shock, Karthik rushed to Walajapet Government Hospital to identify his wife Sunita’s body on Wednesday. Only he, a passenger, and the bus driver survived the accident. All others perished. Among the victims were five women.
The bus fell into a pit and, in the impact, its diesel tank burst into flames, the police said on Wednesday.

A pall of gloom descended on the hospital and the accident site with grieving relatives trying to identify the bodies. “It must have been horrific for the passengers. The bus was burnt beyond recognition,” a police officer struggling to locate the chassis number of the bus, said.

It was a disastrous journey for the members of two US-based families. Travelling back to their hometown after landing in Chennai, the families, originally from Tirupur, could not reach their destination for the accident snuffed out their lives near Kaveripakkam, about 70 km from Chennai.

Deccan Herald found a burnt short-term visa application filed in 2005 by Senthil Kumar Kanakarajan (31). A bachelor, Kanakarajan was travelling with his mother, Saraswathi (60), after returning with her from the US.

He was sitting in the first row of the bus when it plunged into the pit. Kanakarajan worked with Cognizant in Pittsburgh and had applied for the short-term visa.

Along with Kanakarajan and Saraswathi,  Vimala Armugam, son Pranav Raj (10) and Vimala’s mother Vijaya were killed in the accident. Ironically, the three had also been to the US recently.

One of the victims, Subramani, is said to be the son-in-law of Elangovan, former Tamil Nadu deputy chief minister M K Stalin’s personal secretary. At the Walajapet Government Hospital,  identifi- cation of the bodies was a daunting task. The police said most bodies were charred beyond recognition.

The relatives of Selvaraj (53), who owned a khadi emporium showroom in Chennai, said: “We are trying to identify him by looking at the make of his wrist watch. What more can we do? The body is burnt beyond recognition.”

 The Pollachi-bound bus belonged to KPN Travels. Chief Minister J Jayalalitha on Wednesday announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to the families of the dead.