Tiruchy: Two persons died and fifteen others were injured when the tourist bus in which they were travelling went past after rubbing against the side of a wheat laden lorry proceeding ahead of it near Manapparai early today.
A group of 50 persons, all hailing from various villages near Cochin in Kerala, were returning home in the ill-fated tourist bus after visiting Velankanni and Nagore. The wheat laden lorry was on its way to Dindigul from Karaikkal port.
The mishap occurred when the bus attempted to overtake the lorry proceeding ahead on the road at Saveriyarpuram near Vaiyampatti in Manapparai taluk. In the mishap, Immanuel (45) of Cochin and an yet to be identified cleaner of the bus were crushed to death while 15 others including Celine Xavier (70), Aleena (21), Bindu Lebin (53), Surjitha (35), Agnes (46), Saju (5) and Savithri (47) were injured. All the injured were rescued and admitted to government hospital in Manapparai.
The bus driver namely Vinod, however, fled soon after the mishap.
Vaiyampatti police have registered a case and further investigation is on.