TOUGH TASK: A recovery van trying to pull out the State Transport Corporation bus _ barely visible in the photograph _ that was washed away in flash floods near Thiruvadanai in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu on Friday. - PHOTO: C.JAISHANKAR

THANJAVUR: At least 145 passengers were feared killed when two buses were washed away in floods in two different places, even as rain continued to torment Tamil Nadu for the fourth day on Friday.

At Perumalkoil, 2 km from Pattukottai in Thanjavur district, 80 persons were reported to have been swept away when a private bus tried to cross an overflowing causeway across the Maharajasamudram river.

More than 65 persons were killed and 15 injured at Sanaveli near Thiruvadanai in Ramanathapuram district when a State Transport Corporation bus was washed away in a flash flood. So far, 38 bodies have been taken out from the bus at Perumalkoil.

The bus, going from Pattukottai to Aranthangi, was said to be overcrowded. The driver underestimated the force of the swirling water on the causeway. The bus rolled into the river and was swept away for 50 feet.

Villagers tried to pull it out of water, but did not succeed. Fire service personnel used cranes and ropes to drag the bus out.

The bodies were taken to the Pattukottai Government Hospital. The victims, including women and children, are yet to be identified.

Driver cautioned

At Thiruvadanai, the bus, going from Tiruchi to Rameswaram, was stopped by policemen and villagers as it approached the Sanaveli earthen bridge at about 12.45 p.m. The driver was asked to be cautious while negotiating it. However, the bus was washed away in a sudden surge in the flow from the stream.

The policemen and villagers managed to rescue 15 persons, but the others were drowned in the strong current.

According to the conductor, there were 63 passengers, but eyewitnesses claimed that at least 90 persons were travelling in the bus.

Fire service and police personnel, with ambulances, from Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga districts rushed to the scene and started rescue operations. A helicopter from the Coast Guard Air Station at Uchipuli was also pressed into service.

Sixteen bodies, including those of eight women and a child, were retrieved and sent to the Thiruvadanai Government Hospital. The driver and the conductor have been arrested.

In other rain-related incidents in the State, at least 24 lives were lost. Over two lakh people have been rendered homeless.

The Navy and the Coast Guard have been lending a hand. Chief Minister Jayalalithaa has requisitioned the services of the Army too.

The overflowing Cauvery breached its banks at a few places. People in vulnerable areas have been evacuated.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail