Three killed, 30 injured in road mishap

In an unusual road mishap, two girl students and a man were killed in a collision between their motorcycle and a college bus, and about 30 passengers travelling in the vehicle were injured when it turn-turtle after panic-stricken driver jumped out of it near here today.
Fifteen of the injured, who are the students and the staff of Pondicherry University, had been admitted to a private hospital where the condition of four was stated to be critical. Others were treated as outpatients, police said.
It turned out to be a tragic end for the man, who rode the two-wheeler, as he was to get married in two weeks.

He was taking the two girls, his relatives, on the pillion to their college after they missed their bus when the mishap occurred on the East Coast Road (ECR) at Kalapet, police said.
The motorcycle and the university bus, carrying about 30 students and staff, collided head on.
The two-wheeler was thrown off the road due to the impact, killing on the spot the three riders, hailing from Keezhpettai village in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Fearing public wrath, the bus driver jumped out and took to his heels, abandoning the vehicle without bringing it to a halt. He was absconding, police said.

The bus swerved in a zig zag manner and moved for some distance before turning turtle on a roadside ravine bed.
A pall of gloom descended on Keezhpettai as Veeramuthu, who was riding the two-wheeler, had returned to his native village only a few days ago for his marriage.
Traffic came to a standstill for some hours on the busy ECR.