Narrow escape for 42 as bus plunges into pit

While 18 people suffered minor injuries, the others managed to escape unhurt. 

The SETC bus from Cuddalore was bound to Chengalpattu when the mishap occurred on the bypass road near Chengalpattu. Despite the road being a double lane, a lorry coming in the opposite direction lost its control in a bid to overtake a two-wheeler and ran over the median and hit the bus.  

In the impact, the bus fell into a gorge, which is at least 25 feet deep from the road. Fortunately, after falling into the gorge, the bus landed on its wheels. This proved a saving grace for the passengers, with 18 of them suffering only minor injuries. 

Gayathri (35), her children Sandhya (9) and Naveen (7), an MBBS student from a private college in Chennai, the bus driver Devanathan (45) and conductor Radhakrishnan (52) were among those injured. 

On seeing the bus fall into the gorge, the lorry driver abandoned his vehicle escaped from the spot. On information, the Chengalpattu Taluk police visited the spot and rushed the injured to Chengalpattu Government Hospital. 

A case has been registered and a search is on to nab the lorry driver. The mishap resulted in traffic congestion on the busy highway, which came to a halt for over an hour. A passenger who was among those who escaped unhurt said, “It was surely a miracle as the depth into which the bus fell could have caused severe damages. But because the bus landed on its wheels, not a single life was lost. I am thanking my stars for escaping unhurt.”