Modi expresses grief at Tirupattur accident, announces Rs 2 lakh ex gratia

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed his condolences over the tragic accident in Tamil Nadu's Tirupattur and announced ex-gratia of Rs two lakh from Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of each deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured.

"Saddened by the loss of lives due to a road mishap in Tirupattur, Tamil Nadu. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray that the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," Prime Minister's Office (PMO) posted on X (Formerly Twitter).

At least 7 women died on the spot and 10 people were critically injured after a truck collided with a tourist van parked on the road near Natrampalli in Tirupattur district in the early hours of Monday.

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According to the police, all the deceased are from the same village and were returning to their hometown after a two-day tour of Mysore. All the people from the village had boarded two vans.

One of the vans malfunctioned near Natrampalli and was being repaired. Meanwhile, some passengers deboarded and sat on the median of the road. At the same time, a mini-truck coming from Krishnagiri first collided with a van being repaired, which subsequently crushed the people sitting in front of it on the centre median.

According to Tirupattur Police Officials, "It was early morning with less visibility, and the van was stationary at a sharp turn, which could have been the reason for the speedy mini-truck’s collision with the van. In the incident, seven women were dead on the spot, and 10 people got critical injuries.”