4 die, 34 cattle killed in Krishnagiri as lorries collide head-on after driver falls asleep

COIMBATORE: In a ghastly mishap, four persons died and three others were injured in a collision between two trucks on Krishnagiri-Chennai National Highways in Bargur in Krishnagiri on Sunday.

Police said S Narayanan (45) from Maharashtra, driving a truck laden with onion loads from Maharashtra to Koyembedu in Chennai had dozed off resulting in the mishap around 5.45 am.

As he lost control, the truck ran over the median to the other side of the NH to crash head-on into another truck carrying cattle from Andhra Pradesh to Coimbatore.

In the impact of the mishap, Arul Jothi (54), who was behind the wheels in the cattle-laden truck and his ‘alternative’ driver Manikandan, both from Dindigul district, besides Narayanan and one Vijayababu (34) from the onion-laden truck succumbed to injuries on the spot.

Three others in the cattle truck; N Vijay (38), Kadhar Basha (36) and N Rajesh (31), all hailing from Nandyal district in Andhra Pradesh suffered injuries and were admitted to Krishnagiri Government Medical College and Hospital for treatment.

Of the 40 cows transported in the truck, almost 34 died despite treatment by veterinarians. Due to the mishap, traffic was disrupted on the busy NH for more than an hour until the rescue personnel removed the mangled remains of both trucks.

Krishnagiri Superintendent of Police P Thangadurai visited the accident spot and held inquiries. A case has been registered and further inquiries are on.