MADURAI: On Sunday evening, a tragic accident occurred near Vivekananda Polytechnic College in Tirupattur, Sivaganga district, resulting in the deaths of nine women among 11 passengers, while 54 others sustained injuries after two government buses collided head-on. Preliminary investigations indicate that one of the bus drivers swerved to avoid a woman attempting to cross the state highway, leading to a collision with an oncoming vehicle. One bus was en route from Kangeyam to Karaikudi, while the other was traveling the Karaikudi-Dindigul route. The incident took place around 5 PM, causing traffic to be halted for approximately 30 minutes. Eight individuals, including the driver, were pronounced dead at the scene, while three critically injured passengers later succumbed to their injuries at Thirupattur Government Hospital. The Chief Minister has announced a compensation of ₹3 lakh for each victim’s family. Police and fire rescue personnel, along with local residents, assisted in rescuing the injured. A total of 20 ambulances transported the injured to hospitals in Karaikudi, Thirupattur, Sivaganga, Pudukottai, and Madurai, while around 28 individuals sought treatment at private hospitals independently. CM M K Stalin expressed his condolences for the deceased and declared compensation of ₹3 lakh for the families of the victims, ₹1 lakh for those with serious injuries, and ₹50,000 for those with minor injuries.
A case has been filed at the Nachiyapuram police station. The administration has established two toll-free numbers – 1077 and 04575-246233 – in Sivaganga district to provide information regarding the accident. Collector K Porkodi informed TOI that three of the victims remain unidentified. The identified victims include driver P Sendrayan, S Muthumari, R Kalpana, V Mallika, M Chellam, D Gunalakshmi, K Lavanya, and A Deivanai.
