17 killed in multi-vehicle collision on Chennai-Bangalore National Highway

KRISHNAGIRI: Seventeen people died and 30 others suffered injuries in a multi-vehicle collision near Soolagiri in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu on Friday afternoon. A truck carrying groundnuts was heading to Hosur from Krishnagiri. When the truck reached Melumalai near Soolagiri, the driver lost control of the vehicle and it rammed the road median. The truck entered the other side of the Chennai-Bangalore National Highway and hit a bus going to Malur from Hosur. Both vehicle toppled after the collision. Two cars which were moving behind the bus hit it. A total of 42 passengers were on board the bus when the accident happened. Nine bus passengers died on the spot. The Soolagiri police and fire and rescue services personnel from Hosur rushed to the spot and rescued the injured who included bus passengers and people travelling in the two cars. The injured were rushed to Government Hospital in Krishnagiri. Eight of the injured died as they were being rushed taken to hospital. Five of the deceased have been identified as A Anjala, 30, wife of Annamalai in Tharamangalam in Salem district, M Ganesan, 17, son of Muniraj of Alasanatham near Hosur, D Gowramma, 55, of Varattanapalli near Burgur in Krishnagiri district, K Mathamma, 40, of Denkanikottai in Krishnagiri district and S Nirmala, 22, of Soolagiri. "We are yet to identify other deceased," said Krishnagiri district superintendent pf police (in-charge) Pandith Gangadhar. Traffic had been affected on the Chennai-Bangalore National Highways for more than three hours after the accident.   TOI