Tamil Nadu: 12 killed, 40 injured after two buses crash in Sivaganga

At least 12 people were killed and more than 40 injured in a devastating road accident near Kummangudi close to Kundrakkudi in Sivaganga district when two Tamil Nadu government buses collided headon on Sunday evening an official saidThe impact was so severe that several passengers died on the spot while many others were trapped inside the mangled busesLocal residents rushed to the scene helping police pull out the injured as rescue operations continued late into the evening According to initial information both buses were travelling in opposite directions when they collided on a narrow stretch of roadPolice officials said they are examining whether overspeeding poor visibility or driver fatigue contributed to the crashThe injured have been shifted to hospitals in Sivaganga and Karaikudi where emergency teams are attending to multiple cases of fractures head injuries and traumaSeveral passengers remain in critical conditionEyewitnesses described chaotic scenes immediately after the collision with passengers crying for help shattered glass scattered across the road and locals breaking the bus doors to rescue those trapped insideTraffic was disrupted for nearly an hour before police restored movementThe crash once again highlights the alarming trend of fatal road accidents in Tamil Nadu Just days ago six people mdash including five women mdash were killed when two private buses collided headon in Tenkasi districtAcross the state deadly accidents continue to dominate headlinesTamil Nadu recorded more than 67000 road accidents in 2023 the highest for any state in India accounting for nearly 14 per cent of the countryrsquos total accidentsAlthough the state saw a slight decline in fatalities in 2025 due to stronger enforcement and awareness campaigns major crashes involving buses trucks and twowheelers continue to claim lives on a daily basis In recent months districts such as Trichy Salem and Villupuram have reported a spike in fatal crashesIn one urban centre accidentrelated deaths between June and July 2025 rose sharply compared to previous years prompting concerns about speeding and lack of adherence to safety normsLast month a bus carrying Sabarimala pilgrims from Tamil Nadu rammed a safety railing in Kerala injuring several passengers and drawing attention to longdistance driver fatigueThe Sivaganga accident has renewed calls for stricter monitoring of government buses regular driverfitness checks improved road engineering on accidentprone stretches and tougher action against speedingPolice have launched a formal investigation and district authorities are expected to submit a detailed reportMore updates are awaited as officials confirm the identities of the victims and assess the cause of this horrific collisionThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever