COIMBATORE: An auto driver was killed, and two others injured after a TNSTC bus ran amok as its driver suffered a heart attack and collided with an auto, a car and several two-wheelers on the Palakkad-Coimbatore Road on Wednesday.

Auto driver Noor Mohammed (51) and bus driver Martin (51), a resident of Singanallur, died.

When the bus bound for Ukkadam from Madukkarai was nearing Sunnambu Kalvai, Martin suddenly developed severe chest pain and slumped over the steering wheel while trying to bring the vehicle to a halt. The bus went out of control, triggering panic among over 50 passengers.

Acting swiftly, conductor Parameswaran managed to apply the brakes. By then, however, the bus had collided with an auto, a car and over 10 two-wheelers.

Police said Noor Mohammed jumped out of his auto in an attempt to escape the oncoming bus but came under its wheels and died on the spot. Two two-wheeler riders sustained severe injuries and were admitted to Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital.

In another mishap, a 39-year-old woman was killed, while her husband and two children were injured when their car overturned near Gundadam in Tirupur on Wednesday early morning.

Vijay Raja (42) of Madurai, his wife Kavitha, and their two children Keerthisana (10) and Sai Charan (4) were returning from Madurai by car. Vijay Raja, who was behind the wheel, was employed in a knitwear unit in Mudalipalayam in Tirupur.

As the car overturned into a ditch, leaving the family trapped inside, the Gundadam police rushed to the spot, rescued them, and sent them to a private hospital in Koduvai. They were later shifted to Tirupur Government Hospital. Kavitha succumbed to her injuries.