Tragic Bus Collision Claims 11 Lives in Sivaganga District
A devastating head-on collision between two government buses near Vivekananda Polytechnic College in Tirupattur resulted in eleven fatalities and fifty-four injuries on Sunday evening. The tragic incident occurred in the Sivaganga district around 5 PM, bringing traffic to a standstill for approximately thirty minutes.
The Collision and Immediate Aftermath
Preliminary investigations indicate that one of the bus drivers swerved abruptly to avoid hitting a woman who attempted to dart across the state highway. This evasive maneuver caused the vehicle to collide directly with the bus approaching from the opposite direction. Eight individuals, including the driver, died instantly at the scene, while three critically injured passengers succumbed to their injuries at Thirupattur Government Hospital.
Among the eleven victims, nine were women, highlighting the disproportionate impact on female passengers. The buses were operating on different routes—one traveling from Kangeyam to Karaikudi, while the other was en route from Karaikudi to Dindigul when the catastrophic collision occurred.
Rescue Operations and Medical Response
Local residents joined police, fire, and rescue services personnel in a coordinated effort to extract injured passengers from the wreckage. Twenty ambulances were deployed to transport the wounded to multiple medical facilities across the region, including hospitals in Karaikudi, Thirupattur, Sivaganga, Pudukottai, and Madurai.
Approximately twenty-eight individuals sought treatment at private hospitals independently. Collector K Porkodi revealed that three victims remained unidentified initially, while the identified deceased included driver P Sendrayan and passengers S Muthumari, R Kalpana, V Mallika, M Chellam, D Gunalakshmi, K Lavanya, and A Deivanai.
Government Response and Compensation
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin expressed condolences to the bereaved families and announced substantial financial assistance. The compensation package includes ₹3 lakh for each victim's family, ₹1 lakh for seriously injured passengers, and ₹50,000 for those with minor injuries.
The district administration has established two toll-free numbers—1077 and 04575-246233—to provide accident-related information to concerned citizens and family members. Authorities at Nachiyapuram police station have registered a formal case as investigations continue into the precise circumstances leading to this tragic incident that has left multiple families grieving across the region.
