Eight lives were tragically lost when a tourist bus, carrying 55 passengers, plunged 50 feet into a gorge near a bridge in Ooty’s Coonoor on Saturday night. Among the passengers, 35 have been admitted to the nearby Government Hospital, with four in critical condition.
The victims have been identified as V Nithin (15), S Babykala (36), S Murugesan (65), P Muppidathe (67), and R Kausalya (29). The identities of the other three victims are yet to be determined. This devastating incident occurred as the passengers, all from Thenkasi, were returning from Ooty.
Preliminary reports indicate that the tragedy unfolded when the driver lost control of the bus while navigating the ninth hairpin bend along the Mettupalayam-Coonoor road. A rescue operation is currently in progress.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has announced financial assistance in this time of grief, offering an ex-gratia of Rs 8 lakh to the families of the deceased, Rs 1 lakh for those grievously injured, and Rs 50,000 for the remaining survivors.
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