30 killed in TN road accidents

The first mishap involving a Bangalore-bound sleeper coach and an omnibus killed 16 people and injured 40 others.

A Kottayam-Bangalore omnibus caught fire in the wee hours when its diesel tank exploded, soon after the luxury coach collided with a Kerala-bound truck coming in the opposite direction on the Coimbatore bypass road.

While the flames engulfed the lorry as well, the drivers of both vehicles were killed on the spot, sources said.

Even as passengers desperately jumped out to safety by breaking open the glass panes, 17 of the 45 passengers traveling by it were injured.

Eight passengers who suffered critical injuries were admitted to Coimbatore Government Hospital.

The names of some of those passengers were given as Jercy, Bindu, Mariam Stephen, Chandra Reddy, Joy and Renuka. Nine others were treated with minor injuries at a private hospital nearby.

In another incident on Monday afternoon, a private and state transport buses collided head on near Manaparai, about 50 km from Tiruchirappalli.

At least 14 people died on the spot. Police said over 30 others were seriously injured. The death toll could go up.