Eight persons, including three women and a child, were charred to death and 12 injured after a private bus and an aviation fuel-laden truck collided and went up in flames near Erode early on Sunday.
A 50-year-old private lodge owner, who was admitted to a private hospital in Coimbatore, 100 km from Erode, with 90% burns, succumbed in the evening, hospital sources said, adding, his condition was very critical when he was brought, they said.
The Coimbatore-bound bus from Bangalore, carrying 32 passengers, rammed into the fuel laden truck from behind at Chithode, about 15 km from Erode on NH-47, triggering a blaze which gutted both vehicles, police said.
Five persons, including three women and a child, were charred to death on the spot, while two others admitted in a critical state to hospitals in Erode district succumbed to injuries.
Another person, a 26-year-old software engineer from Bangalore, with 25% burns, is undergoing treatment at the Coimbatore hospital, sources said.
Police at Erode said eight persons who suffered minor injuries were discharged after treatment. Some more were later discharged.
{{/usCountry}}Police at Erode said eight persons who suffered minor injuries were discharged after treatment. Some more were later discharged.
{{/usCountry}}The driver of the bus was among the deceased, police said, adding the truck was on its way to Coimbatore airport carrying the aviation fuel.