Bank employee burnt to death as car and bus collide near Courtallam

TENKASI: A 34-year-old bank employee from Virudhunagar district burnt to death after he was reportedly trapped inside his car which caught fire following a head-on collision with a tourist bus near Courtallam in the early hours of Saturday.

Three people in the bus were injured in the accident.

The deceased was Vijay Anand, a native of Rajapalayam who was working in a nationalised bank in Sivakasi.

The accident occurred on the Thirumangalam-Kollam National Highway within the Elathur police station limits as Vijay was returning to his native place from the Courtallam waterfalls, said police.

Both the vehicles caught fire following the collision. Vijay got trapped inside the car and died in the fire, added police.

The tourist bus was carrying 13 people to Courtallam.

“While most of the tourists in the bus managed to exit the vehicle, K Nargis Banu (18), R Balgis Banu (21) and S Hasina (42) from Subramaniapuram village were injured. The trio were shifted to the District Government Headquarters Hospital (GHQH) in Tenkasi,” the police sources added.

Traffic on the highway was affected for a few hours as both the vehicles were engulfed in flames. Vehicles were diverted through alternate routes.

Fire and Rescue Services personnel put out the fire.

The Elathur police registered a case and launched an inquiry.

A police team led by Superintendent of Police S Ashok Kumar conducted an investigation at the accident spot.