17 killed, 34 injured in separate road accidents in TN

Chennai, Feb 5 (UNI) At least 17 people, including a State Bank of India (SBI) officer and a head constable, were killed and 34 others injured in two separate road accidents in Tamil Nadu today.

Reports received at the Police headquarters here said 13 people were killed and 33 others injured when a Tamil Nadu State Express Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus and a private bus from Chennai to Koodankulam collided at Nanguneri in the Southern Tirunelveli district.

While 12 of them, including seven women, died on the spot, one person succumbed to injuries at the Tirunelveli government hospital.

The SBI official, who was among the dead was working as the Deputy Manager in the Tirunelveli branch and the constable was identified as Jebamani, attached to the ninth Battalion at Manimuthaaru near here.

While 24 of the injured were admitted to Tirunelveli Governemnt hospital, the remaining nine were admitted to a private hospital in Nagercoil. The condition of some of the injured were stated to be critical.

A majority of the victims were travelling in the governemnt bus which was on its way to the city from Nagercoil.

In the other mishap, four people were killed and one person was injured when the bus in which they were travelling collided with a lorry at Uthukkadu village near Kancheepuram, about 100 km from here.

While three persons died on the spot, the other succumbed to his injuries on way to hospital. The injured was admitted to the government hospital.

UNI