17 die in road accident in Tamil Nadu

Seventeen people died and several others were injured on Friday in a multiple vehicle collision involving a passenger bus, truck and cars in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu, police said.

Police and fire fighting personnel rushed to the accident spot and undertook rescue operations.

The injured have been admitted to a nearby government hospital.

Krishnagiri district is about 260 km from here.

According to police, the passenger bus was travelling from Krishnagiri to Hosur while the truck was coming from the opposite direction.

The truck driver lost control of his vehicle when one of the tyres burst and hit the bus and also some cars that were coming behind the bus.

The bus and the cars were severely damaged.

Most of the deceased were travelling in the bus.

In a statement, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa expressed grief over the accident and announced a solatium of Rs 100,000 to the families of each of the dead and Rs 50,000 to those who were seriously injured.

--IANS

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