8 killed, 12 injured in bus-truck collision

A 50-year-old private lodge owner, who was admitted to a private hospital in Coimbatore, 100 kms from here, with 90 per cent burns, succumbed in the evening, hospital sources said, adding, his condition was very critical when he was brought, they said.

The Coimbatore-bound bus from Bangalore, carrying 32 passengers, rammed into the fuel laden truck from behind at Chithode, about 15 km from here on NH-47, triggering a blaze which gutted both vehicles, police said.

Five persons, including three women and a child, were charred to death on the spot, while two others admitted in a critical state to hospitals in Erode district succumbed to injuries later.

Another person, a 26-year-old software engineer from Bangalore, with 25 per cent burns, is undergoing treatment at the Coimbatore hospital, they said.

Police at Erode said eight persons, who suffered minor injuries, were discharged after treatment. Some more were later discharged.

The driver of the bus was among the deceased, police said, adding the truck was on its way to Coimbatore airport carrying the aviation fuel.