Lorry ploughs into crowd near Hosur, 3 of family killed

Police said around 40 passengers of a government bus, which was heading to Tiruvannamalai from Bengaluru, were left stranded on the Krishnagiri-Hosur National Highway near Sundagiri around 4am, following a minor mishap. The front axle of the bus was damaged after it crashed into the centre median

The passengers escaped unhurt, following which they disembarked the vehicle. The bus crew, who were making efforts to send the passengers by another bus, then flagged down a bus, which was heading towards Salem from Bengaluru.

However, a speeding lorry rammed the rear of the bus, which then toppled. The lorry then ploughed into the crowd which was waiting by the road side. According to police, Anisha (32), a resident of Tiruvannamalai, and her children Muhammed Suhail (14) and Maithunish (10) were crushed to death on the spot.

Fifteen others, including two children identified as Vishnu (14) and Saran (12), bus conductor Tamilarasan (55), bus driver Chandrasekar (40) and lorry driver Arjunan suffered injuries.

All the injured persons were rescued by bystanders and sent to the Krishnagiri Government Hospital for treatment. On receiving information about the incident, the Shoolagiri police rushed to the spot and sent the bodies of the deceased for a post-mortem examination at the Hosur Government Hospital.

After a few hours of efforts, the three vehicles, which were involved in the mishap, were removed from the spot. As a result, traffic was disrupted on the national highway. The Shoolagiri police have registered a case.