Kerala CM sends two ministers to Tamil Nadu for KSRTC bus accident relief work

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has instructed the District Collector of Palakkad to provide emergency medical aid to the victims of the accident in which 19 people were killed and over 20 injured seriously after a truck and a Kerala-bound bus collided in Avinashi town of Tamil Nadu's Tirupur district on Thursday morning.

The chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan has instructed the District Collector of Palakkad to provide emergency medical care to the victims of the accident and make arrangements to bring back the dead bodies of the deceased.

Vijayan has also directed two of his colleagues- Transport Minister AK Saseendran and Agriculture Minister VS Sunilkumar to rush to Tirupur to provide all assistance and coordinate relief activities.

"Procedures to identify the deceased are in progress. All possible relief measures will be taken in cooperation with the Government of Tamil Nadu and the District Collector of Tirupur," read an official statement by the chief minister's office.

A Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus with 48 passengers on its way to Ernakulam in Kerala from Bengaluru in Karnataka when the mishap occurred on the Coimbatore-Salem highway

Those who were killed included risen to 20 including 6 woman and the injured have been taken to hospitals in Tirupur and Coimbatore.

23 passengers with serious injuries are admitted to the Tirupur Government Hospital, according to sources.

Kerala Transport Minister AK Saseendran told ANI: "Senior officials from KSRTC have rushed to the site. 20 are feared dead and several others injured. Tirupur district collector is camping in the site.

"CM's office is coordinating proceedings to render all available help to those injured. We are trying to identify the bodies of the victims. I have ordered an enquiry. KSRTC MD will conduct an enquiry and submit a report.