One killed, 5 injured as bees attack them while cleaning tank

One killed, 5 injured as bees attack them while cleaning tank

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:26.04.2021

A 34-year-old man died and five others suffered injuries after they were attacked by a swarm of honey bees while cleaning a huge water tank in Padi on Saturday.

While police identified the deceased as P S Sundar, a resident of Kodungaiyur, a fire and rescue services department employee who rushed in to help is being treated at Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. G Sellakumar, 24, N Vinoth Kumar, 25, of Villivakkam, D Gopinath, 25, of Kodungaiyur, G Raghunath, 28, of Nagapattinam and V Michael, 46, of Mogappair are also being treated there.

While a honeybee sting is painful but is usually harmless, with people experiencing swelling, itching and redness in the affected area, it can be life threatening if stung multiple times by a swarm of bees and also if a person is allergic to the venom and develops nausea, say doctors.

Police said Sundar and five others, hired by Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) to clean the water tank at Millennium Park, were climbing down a spiral staircase by the side when they came under attack by the swarm. Sundar rushed down the stairs despite being stung, while the others rushed back to the top of the tank and got stuck there.

Soon, a team of fire fighters from JJ Nagar and Kilpauk arrived. “Since they could not locate the beehive, they climbed the stairs wearing protective gear to bring down those stuck there and were also stung,” said an official. A few residents brought fire torches to chase away the bees, but failed.

Man lights cig after using sanitiser, injured in fire

Man lights cig after using sanitiser, injured in fire

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:12.04.2021

A 50-year-old carpenter is being treated for severe burns he suffered at his Ashok Nagar residence on Saturday night. Ruban had lit a cigarette minutes after cleaning his hands with a sanitiser and a spark fell on his shirt and triggered a fire, police said.

A senior officer, based on a statement from the man’s family members, said Ruban had reached his house at Pudhur in Ashok Nagar late after work and immediately used a sanitiser to clean his hands. A few drops spilled on his shirt and a family member informed him of this, but Ruban said he would change his shirt anyway after a bath and went to the washroom. There he lit a cigarette, some sparks fell on his shirt and he was soon enveloped in flames, the officer said.

He cried out for help and his family members rushed in and took him to the Government Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital where his condition is said to be critical. The man suffered burns to the face, neck, chest, abdomen and both hands, the officer said.

Doctors said a sanitiser evaporates 2-3 seconds after application and so poses little direct threat, but added that creating a flame or lighting a cigarette immediately after using it can be risky.

Dr Sivalingam of a private hospital in Porur stressed that hand sanitisers, though absolutely essential at this time, need to be handled with care. “The high ethyl alcohol content of up to 62% makes a hand sanitiser highly flammable. Never use sanitisers near a fire or a heated place. It is always advisable to use a limited quantity and allow it to dry,” he said.

Alcohol-based sanitisers pose no great risk on the skin because they evaporate in seconds, he said. “People can cook or use a sanitiser near a flame, but need to be careful,” he pointed out.

3 dead, 39 injured as govt bus, truck collide head-on

3 dead, 39 injured as govt bus, truck collide head-on

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Cuddalore:  09.04.2021

Three people including the driver of a TNSTC bus were killed and 39 others were injured when the bus collided head-on with a truck on Thursday near Chidambaram in Cuddalore district. A case was registered against the truck driver, who was said to be in a critical condition.

The deceased people were identified as 38-year-old D Sivakumar of Villupuram district, the bus driver, and passengers A Anbarasan, 36, and R Vairavan, 19, from Nagapattinam district.

Police said the TNSTC bus from Velankanni left for Chennai in the wee hours of Thursday. When the bus crossed Mettupalayam near Chidambaram, it collided head-on with a truck bound for Chidambaram from Cuddalore. Teh front portions of the bus and truck were completely mangled and the bus was flipped to its side in the impact.

While the three were found dead on the spot, 39 others were injured and rushed to government general hospitals in Cuddalore and Chidambaram.

A police team led by DSP (Chidambaram) T A J Lamech reached the accident spot and recovered the bodies.

The condition of the truck driver, identified as Iyyappan, was said to be critical. He was later shifted to Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) in Puducherry for advanced care and was subsequently referred to a private hospital in Chennai.

The Puduchatram police registered a case against Iyyappan under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and began investigations.

BATTERED: The TNSTC bus was heading from Velankanni to Chennai

17 killed in TN cracker unit blast

17 killed in TN cracker unit blast

M K Ananth & Kaushik Kannan TNN

Virudhunagar:13.02.2021 

In one of the worst fireworks tragedies in recent years in Tamil Nadu, 17 people, including seven women, were killed and 35 others injured in a blast at a cracker unit in Achankulam near Sattur town on Friday afternoon. The condition of many of the injured is said to be critical. The accident took place on the premises of Sri Mariamman Fireworks around 1 pm where workers were engaged in filling chemicals in fancy fireworks.

The explosion was triggered by friction when workers were handling chemicals in one of the working sheds. Under its impact, the fire spread to several sheds in the cracker unit, making firefighting difficult for a long time. While nine people died on the spot, the numbers climbed to 17 by evening. Virudhunagar district collector R Kannan told TOI that the deceased include seven women and five men. “We have identified five men and five women. Two women are yet to be identified while the gender of the three other bodies is yet to be ascertained,” he said.

The injured -- 14 women and 21 men -- were being treated at various hospitals in Sattur, Sivakasi and Kovilpatti. Chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami has announced Rs 3 lakh relief to the relatives of each of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh each to those injured.PM Narendra Modi mourned the tragedy and announced Rs 2 lakh ex gratia to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the seriously injured. Sources said several violations were identified in the cracker unit. As many as 70 people were employed in the unit which was way above the stipulated number.

The explosion was triggered by friction when workers were handling chemicals in one of the working sheds

Four of family take poison, parents die

Four of family take poison, parents die

Salem:11.02.2021 

In a suicide pact, four members of a family took poison near Attur in the district on Tuesday night. While the parents died, the children are battling for lives in hospital.

Police identified the deceased as P Velmurugan, 37, of Pungavadi village, and his wife Sathya, 33. Their children – 13-year-old Abinaya and 11-yearold Sanjay – are hospitalised.

A police source said Velmurugan, a driver did not have a job. “His mother Dhanalakshmi used to scold his wife. When he intervened in their fight on Tuesday night, his mother scolded him too.” Upset, the couple, along with their children decided to end their lives. He poured poison into their ears and fed it to the children forcibly, but they managed to escape and alert the villagers,” the officer said.

According the officer, Velmurugan and Sathya had died by the time the villagers reached the spot. When alerted, the Attur police sent the bodies to the nearby government for postmortem. “The boy’s condition is critical at a private hospital, while the girl is undergoing treatment in the government hospital in Attur,” the officer said. A case has registered. TNN

Five members of family killed as car, truck collide, one arrested

Five members of family killed as car, truck collide, one arrested

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:10.02.2021

Five members of a family died after the car they were travelling in rammed a truck at Padalam in Kancheepuram district in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to police, the deceased were identified as P Subramani, 85, a retired PWD official from Karayanchavadi in Poonamallee, his wife S Indirani, 75, a retired head mistress, their daughter, S Mahalakshmi, 51, granddaughter S Shanthini, 18, and driver J Paul Dinakaran, 24, from Mangadu.

Police said that the family had gone to Samayapuram temple in Trichy on Monday and was returning when the accident happened. The family was travelling in their own car and Paul Dinakaran was hired to drive it.

When the vehicle was going on Trichy-Chennai National Highway near Athimanam village at Madurantakam in Chengalpet district around 2.30am, the driver of a truck that was moving in front of the car applied sudden brake. Paul lost control and rammed the truck. All the occupants in the car died on the spot and the car was completely damaged.

Soon after the accident, the truck driver escaped abandoning the vehicle.

Passersby alerted the highways patrol police who with the help of the registration number of the sand-laden truck arrested its driver P Thangasami, 31, from Manapparai. Police said that the driver had to apply brake as another car moving ahead of him suddenly slowed down.

Passersby rushed all the five to a nearby government hospital where they were declared dead. The bodies were sent to Chengalpattu Government Hospital for postmortem. Police are checking whether Thangasami dozed off and applied the brakes. He was also speeding on the stretch, police said. Following the accident, police are sticking flickering stickers on the back of vehicles to alert the ones trailing them.

TEMPLE TRIP TURNS TRAGIC: The mangled remains of the car

மரத்தில் கார் மோதி விபத்து ஒரே குடும்பத்தில் 4 பேர் பலி

மரத்தில் கார் மோதி விபத்து ஒரே குடும்பத்தில் 4 பேர் பலி

Added : பிப் 09, 2021 01:14

திண்டிவனம் : திண்டிவனம் அருகே, மரத்தில் கார் மோதியதில், ஒரே குடும்பத்தைச் சேர்ந்த நான்கு பேர் உயிரிழந்தனர்.

சென்னை, மேடவாக்கத்தைச் சேர்ந்தவர் செந்தில்நாதன், 49. ஐ.டி., கம்பெனி ஊழியர். இவரது மனைவி இந்துமதி, 42; சென்னை சேப்பாக்கத்தில், உள்ள மாநில வேளாண் இயக்குனர் அலுவலகத்தில், வேளாண் அலுவலராக பணியாற்றி வந்தார். மகன் முகிலன், 17; பிளஸ் 1 படித்து வந்தார்.மூவரும், கள்ளக்குறிச்சி மாவட்டம், மாடூர் கிராமத்தில் உள்ள உறவினர் வீட்டு திருமண நிகழ்ச்சியில் கலந்து கொண்டனர். நேற்று காலை, 9:30 மணிக்கு, சென்னைக்கு, 'மாருதி பலீனோ' காரில் புறப்பட்டனர்.

இவர்களுடன், சென்னை ஐ.சி.எப்., பில் பணியாற்றி வந்த செந்தில்நாதனின் அண்ணன் குருநாதன், 54; பயணம் செய்தார். காரை செந்தில்நாதன் ஓட்டினார்.காலை, 11:50 மணி அளவில், திண்டிவனம் அடுத்த பாதிரி கிராமத்தில் உள்ள வளைவு அருகே வந்தபோது, திடீரென கட்டுப்பாட்டை இழந்த கார், சாலையோர மரத்தில் மோதியது.காரின் முன் பகுதி நொறுங்கியதில், செந்தில்நாதன், இந்துமதி, குருநாதன் ஆகியோர் சம்பவ இடத்திலேயே இறந்தனர்.முகிலன், திண்டிவனம் அரசு மருத்துவமனைக்கு அழைத்துச் செல்லும் வழியில் இறந்தார். ஒலக்கூர் போலீசார் விசாரிக்கின்றனர்.

ஆபத்தான வளைவுவிபத்து நடந்த பகுதியில் ஏற்கனவே, மரத்தில் கார் மோதியதில் ஒரே குடும்பத்தைச் சேர்ந்த ஆறு பேர் இறந்தனர். இதனால், அந்த இடத்தில் ஆபத்தான வளைவு என்று எச்சரிக்கை போர்டு வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது. இருப்பினும், நேற்று அதே இடத்தில் நான்கு பேர் இறந்துள்ளனர்.தாம்பூல பையால் துப்பு துலங்கியதுவிபத்து நடந்த இடத்திற்கு, நெடுஞ்சாலைத் துறை ரோந்து போலீசார் உடனே சென்றனர்.

இறந்தவர்கள் யார் என்ற விபரம் தெரியவில்லை. காரில், திருமண நிகழ்ச்சியில் கொடுத்த தாம்பூல பை இருந்தது. அதில் திருமணம் நடந்த இடம் கள்ளக்குறிச்சி அருகே உள்ள மாடூர் என்று இருந்தது.உடனே போலீசார், ஒயர்லஸ் மூலம் கள்ளக்குறிச்சி போலீஸ் நிலையத்திற்கு தொடர்பு கொண்டு, திருமணம் நடந்த இடத்திற்கு சென்று விசாரித்தனர்அதன் பின்னரே, இறந்தவர்கள் பற்றிய முழு விபரம் தெரிந்தது.ஏர் பலுான் இருந்தும் பலனில்லை!விபத்தில் சிக்கிய காரை ஓட்டி வந்த செந்தில்நாதன், டிரைவர் சீட்டிலேயே இறந்து கிடந்தார். அதே நேரத்தில், ஏர் பலுான் ஓப்பனாகி இருந்தது.

இது குறித்து போக்குவரத்து அதிகாரியிடம் கேட்ட போது, 'காரை ஓட்டியவர் பிரேக் அடிக்காமல், நேராக மரத்தில் மோதியதால் கார் முற்றிலும் நசுங்கி விட்டது. அதனால் தான், ஏர் பலுான் ஓப்பனாகியும் அவர் இறந்து விட்டார். பிரேக் அடித்ததற்கான தடயம் சாலையில் எதுவும் இல்லை. அனேகமாக துாக்க கலக்கத்தில் விபத்து நடந்திருக்கலாம்' என்றார்.

TN Aids society joint director dies in accident

TN Aids society joint director dies in accident

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

31.01.2021

Dr J Stanley Michael, the joint director of Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (Tansacs), died after the car he was driving rammed a truck near Siruganur in Trichy district in the early hours of Saturday. He was 49.

Michael hailed from Coimbatore. The accident occurred when he was returning to Chennai after visiting his sister in Crawford in Trichy.

When the car was approaching Nedungur village on the Trichy – Chennai national highway, a truck going in front of the car came to a sudden halt. Michael lost control and the car rammed the rear end of the truck. He died on the spot.

The Siruganur police retrieved the body and sent it to a government hospital for postmortem. Police arrested the truck driver and are investigating.

Couple electrocuted while using immersion heater, 2 kids orphaned

Couple electrocuted while using immersion heater, 2 kids orphaned

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 31.12.2020

A couple was found dead in the bathroom of their house in Ayapakkam near Ambattur on Wednesday afternoon. Police said they sgot electrocuted while using the immersion water heating rod. The couple has two children aged 10 and 6.

“One of them must have come into contact with the wire and got electrocuted and the other must have died while trying to rescue the person,” a police officer said. A case has been registered and further investigation is on.

The deceased were identified as S Vijayakumar, 38, employed at a private company and V Sasikala, 30, residents of Marutham Apartments in Ayapakkam. Around 2.30pm, neighbours heard them scream and rushed into their house to find them lying unconscious on the bathroom floor. There was an immersion rod and a toppled bucket lying next to them and the residents were smart enough to not go into the bathroom. They alerted police and a team from the Thirumullaivoyal police station rushed to the place and confirmed that they were dead. The bodies were later sent to Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital for post-mortem.

Salem-B’luru NH accident: Truck driver arrested

Salem-B’luru NH accident: Truck driver arrested

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Dharmapuri:  14.12.2020

Hours after the complete mayhem on Thoppur ghat road on Salem-Bengaluru National Highway, where a speeding container truck crashed into 12 cars, a minivan, a truck and a bike, killing four and injuring seven others, police arrested the truck driver in the early hours of Sunday.

The Thoppur police identified the accused as Qutbuddin, 32, of Jharkhand. A police officer said the driver was hiding in a nearby forest, fearing arrest.

Pravesh Kumar, district superintendent of police, said they were questioning the truck driver to know what caused the accident. “We don’t know whether he had dozed off at the wheel. He was driving fast and it seems he had lost control over the vehicle.”

He said transport department officials were checking the truck for a possible brake failure.

Pointing out that the stretch has sharp curves and inclines, Kumar said some drivers were in the habit of driving the vehicles on neutral mode to save fuel. “It is difficult to control a vehicle when driven on neutral mode. There is also a possibility that the truck might have been on neutral mode when the incident occurred.”

The SP said while the driver was speeding the truck, he hadn’t crossed the speed limits as the truck was equipped with speed governor.

The Thoppur police, meanwhile, took the driver to the Dharmapuri government medical college and hospital for Covid-19 testing.

“We will lodge him in the Salem Central Prison after getting the test report,” a police officer said.

1 killed as truck rams bike from behind

A 23-year-old man was killed after a truck rammed his bike near Masinaickenpatty on Salem-Chennai National Highway on Sunday while he was on his way to appear for the written examination for the recruitment of Grade-II police constables, jail wardens and firemen.

Police identified the deceased as M Periyannan, of Dharapuram Kattuvalavu village near Omalur in the district. After completing Class XII, he had been preparing for the Grade-II recruitment examination. According to a police officer, the examination centre that was allocated to Periyannan was a private arts and science college at Ramalingapuram on the NH. “When he neared Masinaickenpatty around 7.30am, the truck hit his bike from behind. Periyannan was thrown off from the bike and his head hit the parapet wall on roadside. He died on the spot.” TNN

The Thoppur police identified the accused as Qutbuddin, 32, of Jharkhand. A police officer said the driver was hiding in a nearby forest, fearing arrest

Riding home after ‘thala Diwali’, couple die in accident

Riding home after ‘thala Diwali’, couple die in accident

Chennai:  19.11.2020

A newly married couple died in a road accident near Maraimalai Nagar.

A truck hit the bike-borne couple, which was returning to the city on Tuesday after celebrating their first Diwali post-marriage. Police identified the deceased as Ramar, 25, an electrician and native of Kattusellur village in Kallakurichi district, and his wife Nadhiya, 24. They got married just two months ago and left their Tambaram house to visit their parents for Diwali.

A lorry hit Ramar’s bike near Singaperumal Koil on Tuesday, leaving the couple with severe head injuries. Passersby sent them to the government hospital in Chengalpet, where doctors declared them dead on arrival. The Maraimalai Nagar police registered a case and are searching for the truck driver. TNN

Accident

‘We sat down on tracks as our legs ached, some dozed off’

Survivor Narrates How They Decided To Take A Break After Walking 35KM

P.Naveen@timesgroup.com

Bhopal: 09.05.2020

They had set off, the 20 of them, with a bundle of rotis and a small dabba of chutney. The food lay scattered amid the remains of the 16 migrants, mowed down by a goods train as they slept on the tracks, on Friday morning.

A survivor of the horror narrated how they decided to take a break as their bones were aching after walking for 35km along the railway lines. They squatted on the tracks near Karmad station and munched their spartan fare.

“Some fell asleep right there, on the tracks, although I warned them not to. I curled up a few steps away. I woke up to the sound of a train and ran towards my friends, screaming for them to wake up. But the train was louder and faster,” Dhirendra Singh, a resident of Mandla district of MP, told TOI over phone.

Dhirendra was among four who survived because they were not sleeping on the tracks. Asked why they decided to walk, he said: “We had applied for lockdown pass from Madhya Pradesh government, but it is still pending.”

He is from Mohad village in Mandla. All four survivors are from the same district. One of them is said to be in a critical condition.

Ten of the dead are from Jaisingh Nagar in Shahdol and six from Umaria.

Seven of the Shahdol victims are from the same family whose houses share walls in Antoli village. Two of them are brothers — Budhraj, 25, and Shivdayal Singh, 20, sons of Gajraj Singh. The siblings had last spoken with Gajraj on Thursday night, and told him that they had run out of money and options, so they decided to walk home. It’s nearly 1,000km from Jalna to Shahdol.

They had all set out together in January to work in steel and iron factories in Jalna. The entire village is in mourning. Many of those dead were the only earning members of their family.

TRAGEDY ON TRACKS: Rotis lie scattered at the site of the tragedy. Ten of the dead were from Shahdol, two of them brothers. They had last spoken to their father on Thursday and told him that they were walking home as they had run out of money and options. The entire village is in mourning

விபத்தில் சிக்கிய டேங்கா் லாரி: சாலையில் ஆறாக ஓடிய பாமாயில்

By DIN | Published on : 13th April 2020 05:47 AM 

சென்னை துறைமுகத்தில் இருந்து மேடவாக்கத்திற்கு பாமாயில் ஏற்றிச் சென்ற டேங்கா் லாரி தேனாம்பேட்டையில் உள்ள அண்ணா மேம்பாலத்தில் கவிழ்ந்து விபத்துக்குள்ளானது.

சென்னை துறைமுகத்தில் இருந்து மடிப்பாக்கத்தில் உள்ள தனியாா் எண்ணெய் நிறுவனத்துக்கு சுமாா் 20,000 லிட்டா் பாமாயிலை ஏற்றிக் கொண்டு டேங்கா் லாரி ஞாயிற்றுக்கிழமை பிற்பகல் 2 மணிக்குப் புறப்பட்டது.

தேனாம்பேட்டை அண்ணா மேம்பாலத்தில் இருந்து கீழே இறங்கியபோது ஓட்டுநரின் கட்டுப்பாட்டை இழந்த அந்த டேங்கா் லாரி கவிழ்ந்து விபத்துக்குள்ளானது. இந்த விபத்தில் லாரி ஓட்டுநா் படுகாயம் அடைந்தாா். அவரை மீட்டு அருகில் உள்ள மருத்துவமனையில் சோ்த்தனா்.

இந்த விபத்தினால் டேங்கா் லாரியில் இருந்த பாமாயில் சாலையில் ஆறாக ஓடியது. இதனையடுத்து தகவல் அறிந்து சம்பவ இடத்துக்கு தீயணைப்பு துறையினா் வந்தனா்.

சாலையில் உள்ள எண்ணெய்ப் படலத்தை அகற்றும் பணியில் தீயணைப்புத் துறையினா் ஈடுபட்டனா். சாலையில் கொட்டிய பாமாயிலை தண்ணீா் பீய்ச்சியடித்து அகற்றினா். அருகில் இருந்த தெருவுக்குள் ஆறாக ஓடிய பாமாயிலை அப்பகுதி மக்கள் பாத்திரங்களில் சேகரித்தனா். இந்த விபத்து குறித்து போலீஸாா் விசாரணை நடத்தி வருகின்றனா்.

Overloaded share auto overturns, 1 dead, 4 injured

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:15.03.2020

One passenger died and four others sustained injuries after the share autorickshaw they were travelling in overturned on OMR on Friday.

The overloaded share autorickshaw was plying from Kandanchavadi to Madhya Kailash carrying 12 people including the driver.

The driver lost control and the vehicle hit a median on Rajiv Gandhi Salai at Taramani.

Police have identified the deceased as V Moorthy, 57, of Chittoor in Andhra Pradesh. The incident happened around 11pm and when auto driver Manikandan, 29, of Tsunami Colony, Semmancherry, was carrying the auto with as many as 11 passengers to Madhya Kailash from Kandhanchavadi. Most of the passengers are employees of a catering firm at Kandanchavadi. They boarded the auto from a wedding hall in the area, police said.

When the auto reached the traffic signal at SRP Tools bus stop, Manikandan lost the control of the vehicle leading to the accident. While Moorthy died on the spot and Manikandan suffered injuries on the head.

Some of the other passengers were Desikan, 44, Shanmugam, 34, and Murugesan, 39, and have been admitted at Royapettah Government Hospital. The Guindy traffic investigation wing police have registered a case and further investigation is on.

விபத்துக்கு காரணம் டிரைவர் மட்டுமா?

Added : பிப் 20, 2020 21:53

நள்ளிரவு தாண்டி, அதிகாலை வரையிலான நேரம், டிரைவர்களை அசதிக்குள்ளாக்கும் தருணம். இதனால், தன்னையறியாமல் டிரைவர் துாங்கி விடுவதுண்டு. இதனால், சுங்கச்சாவடி அல்லது உகந்த இடங்களில் வாகனங்களை நிறுத்தி, ஓய்வெடுத்து, டீ உள்ளிட்ட பானங்களை அருந்தி, சோர்வு நீங்கிய பின், வாகனங்களை மீண்டும் இயக்க வேண்டும் என, டிரைவர்களுக்கு அறிவுறுத்தப்பட்டு வருகிறது.

ஆனால் இதை, டிரைவர்களும் பின்பற்றுவதில்லை; வாகன உரிமையாளர்களும் அறிவுறுத்துவதில்லை.நேற்று கோர விபத்து நேர்ந்தபோது, நேரம், அதிகாலை, 3:30 மணி. உயிர்களைப் பலிவாங்கிய கன்டெய்னர் லாரி, கொச்சியில் இருந்து புறப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. பெங்களூருவுக்கு வேகமாகச் செல்லும் எண்ணத்தில், கன்டெய்னர் லாரி டிரைவர் ஹேமராஜ் ஓய்வின்றி இயக்கியுள்ளார்.விபத்துக்கு காரணமான டிரைவர் மீது, விபத்து என்று, சாதாரண பிரிவில் வழக்குப்பதிவு செய்யப்பட்டிருக்கிறது.

டிரைவர் மட்டுமல்லாது, கன்டெய்னர் லாரியின் உரிமையாளர் மீதும், வழக்கு பாய வேண்டும். அப்போது தான், எதிர்காலத்தில், இது போன்ற கோர விபத்துகளுக்கு முற்றுப்புள்ளி வைக்க முடியும் என, சமூக ஆர்வலர்கள் தெரிவித்தனர்.

Kamal Haasan, Lyca Productions announce compensation
Actor stresses on need for safe working conditions, protection for technicians

21/02/2020, STAFF REPORTER,CHENNAI

Film actor Kamal Haasan at the Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital in Chennai on Thursday. B. Velankanniraj

Actor Kamal Haasan announced ₹1 crore compensation for families of the technicians who died, as well as for those injured in the accident on the sets of Indian 2 on Wednesday night.

Speaking to mediapersons at KMC Hospital on Thursday, Mr. Haasan said that he was not there as a representative of a film production but as a concerned family member. “I have been in this profession since I was a child. This is yet another incident which proves that this industry does not have the level of safety which is expected of it,” he said.

Stating that the compensation he offered should be viewed only as a first-aid, Mr. Haasan said that the industry should come together and take steps to ensure protection and insurance for technicians. “We boast about big budget films but it is shameful that we are not able to protect our technicians,” he said. He stressed on the responsibility of any profession including the cinema industry to ensure that technicians are protected and insured. “This is not an appeal I am making to the film industry. It is our responsibility and duty, and I am merely reiterating it,” he said.

Mr. Haasan said that it had been a narrow escape for him as well, as he was under the same canopy with the actress of the film, sometime before the crane collapsed. “The director and the cameraman had a narrow escape as they moved from there just about four seconds before the accident,” he added. Speaking about Mr. Krishna, the assistant director who was killed in the mishap, the actor said that the youngster used to work with him as an assistant. “It was only day before yesterday that he came and told me that he had joined the sets of Indian 2,” he said. Mr. Krishna is the son-in-law of cartoonist and film critic Madhan.

Director Shankar and Lyca Productions founder Subaskaran Allirajah also met the families of the deceased at KMC. Tamil Kumaran, CEO of Lyca Productions, said that they were giving ₹2 crore to the families of the deceased and those who were injured. “We will take care of all the medical expenses,” he added. Reacting to questions about safety on set, Mr. Kumaran said that they had taken adequate precautions and that the accident had been “sudden and unfortunate”.

Survivors of Kerala RTC bus accident left in a state of shock
They say local people came to their rescue

21/02/2020, G. KRISHNAKUMAR,KOCHI

Mangled remains: The KSRTC bus that met with an accident on the outskirts of Tiruppur on Thursday. M. PERIASAMY

Charishma K. woke up on hearing a loud thud and found that the right side of the bus in which she was travelling was completely open.

A passenger in the Garuda Volvo bus of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation that met with a major tragedy at Avinashi on the Coimbatore-Salem highway early on Thursday, Ms. Charishma boarded the bus from Bengaluru and was on the way to her cousin’s house in Ernakulam. “My seat number was 3 and it was on the left side of the bus. I found that the right side of the bus was completely damaged when I suddenly woke up. It was all over in flash. I am still in a state of shock.” she told The Hindu over the phone.

“We could not get out through the main exit door as it got jammed. Locals, who rushed to the spot immediately, broke the glasspanes of windows and rescued us,” she said.

Ms. Charishma, a bank employee in Bengaluru and a resident of Kannur, said she was not injured.

The images of bodies lying on the road refuse to leave Sreelakshmi Menon, who was seated in the first row of the bus on the left side.

“I was asleep and woke up after experiencing a huge jerk. I still do not know how I got out as the exit door was stuck. It was only after watching the news later that I realised that a trailer had rammed our bus as I could not spot it after coming out,” she said. An employee with an e-commerce company in Bengaluru, Sreelakshmi was en route to her residence near Thrissur. “I was taken in an ambulance along with a few others to Revathi Medical Centre in Tiruppur, where I was administered first aid. An X-ray was also taken and doctors advised that I could leave,” she said.

Driver-conductor pair had a commendable track record

21/02/2020, SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT ,KOCHI

V.R. Baiju

V.D. Gireesh

The driver-cum-conductor pair, who lost their lives in the accident, had a commendable track record, with their humanitarian ways winning them accolades from within the organisation and from passengers.

In July 2018, the KSRTC’s then Chairman and Managing Director Tomin Thachankery issued a special commendation letter to V.D. Gireesh from Perumbavoor and V.R. Baiju from Piravom after they pro-actively intervened to save the life of a woman passenger. Kavitha Warrier, a passenger, had seizures while the KSRTC Garuda Volvo bus was passing through Hosur. The driver took a U-turn and drove 3 km to the nearest hospital. With the hospital insisting that there had to be a bystander, they contacted the KSRTC officials, who suggested that Baiju stay back at the hospital, till her relatives arrived.

Aliyar, an office-bearer of Kerala State Transport Workers Union, spoke of how the duo also helped rush a child, who suffered from epileptic fit while travelling to Bengaluru, to a hospital.

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.

19 killed, 25 injured after truck jumps median, rams bus in TN
‘Driver Dozed Off At Wheel, Lost Control’
Subburaj.A@timesgroup.com

Coimbatore:21.02.2020

Nineteen people, including a bus driver and five women, were killed and 25 other injured when a container truck rammed a Kerala Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus near Tirupur in Tamil Nadu early on Thursday.

Police said the bus with 48 passengers collided with the truck at 3.40am near Avinashi in Tirupur district on Avinashi-Salem bypass road. The Garuda Volvo bus was on its way to Ernakulam from Bengaluru. The container truck carrying 25 tonnes of floor tiles was going to Bengaluru from Kochi. According to police, truck driver K A Hemaraj, 37, from Kollathumkundil at Ottapalam near Palakkad, dozed off and lost control of the vehicle. The truck hit the 30-cm-high median and crossed over to the other side of the lane. In the impact the container got detached and tore down the right side of the bus, killing most people seated on the side.

Survivors were trapped as the front portion of the bus was completely mangled in the collision. Passing motorists informed the Tirupur city police who rushed to the spot. Fire and rescue services personnel started rescue work with the public joining them in breaking open the glass panes of the bus and helping passengers come out.


DEADLY CRASH: The container got detached after the truck hit the median, crossed to the other lane and ripped the right side of the bus | P 7

Kerala to give ₹10 lakh each to families of dead

Tirupur collector K Vijayakarthikeyan said a regional transport officer inquiry has been ordered as two reasons were given for the accident — the driver was asleep and burst of truck tyres. The Kerala government, meanwhile, has announced a compensation of ₹10 lakh each to the bereaved families, and ₹30 lakh each to KSRTC employees under staff insurance scheme. Condition of 25 injured passengers admitted to various hospitals is set to be stable. P7

Truck driver lost control of vehicle after dozing off

The bodies were sent to the Avinashi Government Hospital and then to the Tirupur Government Hospital for postmortem. Rescue work was completed around 8.30 am. Police had blocked the stretch on the Avinashi-Salem NHAI road and diverted vehicles.

With the help of two earth movers, the bus was taken to a spot and 3 km away. The public were seen at the spot clicking photographs.

Tirupur city police commissioner Sanjay Kumar said the truck driver who was arrested by the Tamil Nadu police said he had dozed off and lost control of the vehicle. The rear tyres were damaged after they hit the centre median.

The container truck driver was booked under Sections 279 (rash driving or riding on a public way), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 304 A (causing death by negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.

V K Sreekandan, Palakkad MP, D Balamurali, Palakkad collector, G Shiva Vikaram, Palakkad superintendent of police, and other police officials were at the accident spot coordinating the rescue work.

Kerala transport minister A K Saseendran and agriculture minister V S Sunilkumar visited the spot and consoled relatives of the deceased. The transport minister announced a solatium of ₹10 lakh to the family of each passenger and ₹30 lakh each to the drivers.

Officials from the regional transport office visited the accident spot and checked the KSRTC bus and the container truck.

Following the postmortem, the bodies were handed over to the family members.