KANNIYAKUMARI: Two welders died on the spot after an omnibus hit their motorcycle near Kumarakovil junction on the national highway at Thakkalai in Kanniyakumari district on Monday morning. Twenty-five passengers in the bus escaped unhurt, while one passenger sustained minor injuries.
The deceased were identified as Vijay (28), and Suresh Kumar (41), relatives from Painkulam–Mukkadu near Pudukadai in Kanniyakumari district. The two worked as welders and travelled daily to Nagercoil for work.
Police said the accident occurred around 8 am when the motorcycle was travelling towards Nagercoil. An omnibus heading from Bengaluru to Thiruvananthapuram allegedly lost control, swerved across the road and crashed into the motorcycle.
Both riders sustained severe injuries and died on the spot.
After the collision, the bus knocked down two metal advertisement boards in front of a private hotel and overturned into a nearby stream. There were 25 passengers, including women, in the bus at the time of the accident.
Passengers were rescued by Fire and Rescue Services personnel from Thakkalai, who broke the rear side window of the bus to evacuate them. A passenger, Abhishek (26), from Patna, sustained minor injuries to his hand while attempting to open the emergency exit.
The bodies were sent to Thakkalai Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Based on a complaint by Vijay’s father, Dennison, police arrested the bus driver Shibin (36) from Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala.
Police said the bus had left Bengaluru at 10.30 pm, and another driver drove it up to Sathur. Shibin allegedly took over from there, and the accident is suspected to have occurred due to drowsy driving. A case has been registered for rash and negligent driving.
Kanniyakumari Collector R Alagumeena and Superintendent of Police Stalin visited the accident site and conducted an inspection.
Vijay returned from abroad about 10 months ago and got married eight months ago. His wife Anu (26) is five months pregnant. Suresh Kumar is survived by his wife, Pabiya (30), and their five-year-old son.