Tamil Nadu woke up on Friday morning to the news of a major bus accident in Tirunelveli district in the south region, which claimed the lives of nine persons including that of two children.
The accident occurred at Valliyoor in Tirunelveli district, 666 km south of Chennai. 24 persons who were injured in the accident have been admitted to various hospitals in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts. Five of the dead passengers were from neighbouring Kerala.
The multi-axle Volvo luxury bus belonging to Universal Travels was on its way to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala from Karaikkal near Puducherry. All passengers on board the bus were pilgrims from Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, who were then returning to their homes after offering prayers at the holy shrine of Velainkanni.
According to the Tirunelveli Police, the mishap occurred at 5:30, when the bus had overturned after hitting the median.
The police said also that the accident was caused when the sleepy driver lost his control of the bus he was driving. Eight persons died on the spot, while one of the injured persons breathed his last in the hospital.