Multiple collisions: J’khand driver held from Thoppur

The accused identified as Qutubuddin, 30, from Jharkhand was found hiding in the Thoppur forests. He had escaped following the ghastly mishap and special teams of police zeroed in on him early on Sunday.

Police said that they have taken him into custody and further inquiries are on to know if he had slept on the wheels or the mishap happened due to some technical fault in the vehicle.

The CCTV footage shows a speeding truck crashing into a lineup of stationed vehicles due to a jam due to an earlier mishap involving two other vehicles. The truck continues to move, even as the pile-up of vehicles breaks the median barricade and spills over to the median side of the road. Four persons died and 20 others were left injured.

Of the injured persons undergoing treatment in different hospitals, three were said to be in a critical condition. Higher Education Minister KP Anbalagan, who visited the accident spot late in the night, said that the accident had happened due to the negligence of the driver. “Efforts would be taken to rectify the issues for frequent incidents of mishaps at this particular stretch on the national highways after discussing the matter with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami,” he said.

Police said that more than 40 accidents are reported every year on an average and about 39 persons have died so far this year alone on Thoppur Ghat. Meanwhile, the Dharmapuri district administration has scheduled a meeting on Monday to discuss the steps needed to prevent accidents there.