Six Nepal pilgrims killed in van-bus collision in Salem
TNN | Feb 21, 2020, 04.40 AM IST
SALEM: Six pilgrims from Nepal, two of them women, were killed and 25 others injured after an omnibus rammed a minibus near Omalur here in the early hours of Thursday.
District superintendent of police (SP) Deepa Ganigar said they had alerted the kin of the deceased through Nepal embassy in Chennai and they were expected to reach the city on Friday morning to receive the bodies.
According to the officer, the accident took place when the minibus, with a total of 34 Nepalese on board, was heading to Rajasthan via Salem after visiting Kanyakumari. “They had come down to the country to visit Hindu temples.”
When the minibus reached Naripallam on Salem-Bengaluru National Highway around 1am on Thursday, the officer said, passengers asked the driver to stop the vehicle for them to refresh.
Beemla Chowdry, 40, one of the passengers said, “We were travelling continuously for more than 10 hours and we wanted to take rest for a while. So, we asked the driver to park the vehicle near a stone mandapam belonging to a Kalilamman temple on the highway.”
Driver Gowlram Chowdhari subsequently parked the minibus on roadside and a few of them approached the night security at the temple, seeking permission to stay there for a few hours.
The SP said, “After obtaining permission from the security guard, they asked the driver to come to the stone mandapam. Chowdhari moved the minibus without noticing the omnibus that was coming in from the opposite direction. While the omnibus driver tried his best to avoid collision with the minibus, he didn’t succeed and hit the bus carrying the pilgrims at the centre, killing four of them on the spot and injuring others.”
She said the omnibus was heading to Kerala from Bengaluru and the passengers in that vehicle escaped unhurt.
When alerted by other motorists on the stretch, the Omalur police took the injured to the Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital. The SP also reached the accident spot and oversaw the investigation.
“While Ber Bathur Rai, 46, Tikaram, 50, Gopal Taman, 53 and Bodhini, 50 died on the spot, Bulkari Cowdhri, 50, and Vishnu Thangal, 55, died in the hospital without responding to the treatment. The remaining passengers are out of danger,” the officer said.
Collector S A Raman, meanwhile, visited the injured at the government hospital and consoled them.
The Omalur police have registered a case under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 304 (a) (causing death by negligence) of Indian Penal Code and further inquiry is on. They are, however, yet to make any arrest.
TNN | Feb 21, 2020, 04.40 AM IST
SALEM: Six pilgrims from Nepal, two of them women, were killed and 25 others injured after an omnibus rammed a minibus near Omalur here in the early hours of Thursday.
District superintendent of police (SP) Deepa Ganigar said they had alerted the kin of the deceased through Nepal embassy in Chennai and they were expected to reach the city on Friday morning to receive the bodies.
According to the officer, the accident took place when the minibus, with a total of 34 Nepalese on board, was heading to Rajasthan via Salem after visiting Kanyakumari. “They had come down to the country to visit Hindu temples.”
When the minibus reached Naripallam on Salem-Bengaluru National Highway around 1am on Thursday, the officer said, passengers asked the driver to stop the vehicle for them to refresh.
Beemla Chowdry, 40, one of the passengers said, “We were travelling continuously for more than 10 hours and we wanted to take rest for a while. So, we asked the driver to park the vehicle near a stone mandapam belonging to a Kalilamman temple on the highway.”
Driver Gowlram Chowdhari subsequently parked the minibus on roadside and a few of them approached the night security at the temple, seeking permission to stay there for a few hours.
The SP said, “After obtaining permission from the security guard, they asked the driver to come to the stone mandapam. Chowdhari moved the minibus without noticing the omnibus that was coming in from the opposite direction. While the omnibus driver tried his best to avoid collision with the minibus, he didn’t succeed and hit the bus carrying the pilgrims at the centre, killing four of them on the spot and injuring others.”
She said the omnibus was heading to Kerala from Bengaluru and the passengers in that vehicle escaped unhurt.
When alerted by other motorists on the stretch, the Omalur police took the injured to the Salem Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College and Hospital. The SP also reached the accident spot and oversaw the investigation.
“While Ber Bathur Rai, 46, Tikaram, 50, Gopal Taman, 53 and Bodhini, 50 died on the spot, Bulkari Cowdhri, 50, and Vishnu Thangal, 55, died in the hospital without responding to the treatment. The remaining passengers are out of danger,” the officer said.
Collector S A Raman, meanwhile, visited the injured at the government hospital and consoled them.
The Omalur police have registered a case under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 304 (a) (causing death by negligence) of Indian Penal Code and further inquiry is on. They are, however, yet to make any arrest.
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