Chennai: Two killed, one hurt as teens ride triples on bike without helmets

Chennai: Tragedy struck three, including two minor boys, when they were riding triples on Agaramthen near Tambaram on Thursday evening. They came under the wheels of a private bus while trying to overtake it. Two youths died on the spot and a 17-year-old boy is undergoing treatment at the Chennai Government hospital. The trio was riding the bike sans helmets, police said.

According to the police, the victims have been identified as S. Dinesh (17) a resident of Annai Sathya Nagar in Mapedu and a Class 11 student of Selaiyur government school, Jana alias Janarthanan (17) of Mappedu and Prasanth (19) of Ananthapuram in Selaiyur. On Thursday evening, when the trio was heading towards Tambaram Camp road on the Agaramthen road in a two-wheeler, they allegedly hit a private school bus plying between Nedungundram and Tambaram on the same road.

Police said Prasanth who was riding the two-wheeler, tried to overtake the bus when they hit it and came under the back wheel of the bus. Passers-by and locals alerted the police, but Prasanth and Dinesh had died on the spot. Their bodies were sent for post-mortem to the Chrompet government hospital. Jana who suffered severe injuries was taken to the Chromepet Hospital where the doctors referred him to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Central.

The Chrompet traffic investigation wing police registered a case. The private school bus driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the spot. However, on Thursday night, he surrendered before the Selaiyur police who handed him over to the Chromepet police. Investigations are on.

Despite the Madras high court repeatedly pulling up the police for not enforcing the helmet rule, three or four people on a bike, with none of them wearing helmets, is a common sight on city roads.