Chennai: Four killed, several hurt in road mishaps due to unprecedented smog
Chennai: Unprecedented smog on Saturday affected normal life in Chennai and other districts, leaving four people dead in road related accidents.
According to Kancheepuram police sources, three people died in various road accidents due to poor visibility. A 62-year-old farmer Veeraraghavan who was on his bicycle was knocked down by a speeding car near Melmarvauthur and in another accident, two bikers collided near Achirapakkam due to poor visibility.
Both who were in the early 50s were rushed to the nearby Chengalpet government hospital but died later due to severe head injuries.
A blanket of smog due to the bonfires lit up to celebrate Bhogi festival claimed the life of a lorry driver at Kanakamma Chatram near Tiruvallur in the early hours of Saturday.
The mini-lorry driver, identified as Michael (42) rammed into a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus plying between Tirupati and Chennai.
He was crushed to death as he got struck in his mangled cabin. Others traveling in the bus were lucky enough to escape with minor injuries. The accident occurred at Kanagavalli Puram near Kanakamma Chatram.
Police said, the driver, a resident of Tuticorin, was driving to Kanakamma Chatram to visit a scrap iron merchant. Further investigations by the police revealed the cause of accident to be thick smog that emanated due to open incineration.
As the visibility was very low in the early hours, the driver could not see the vehicle coming on the opposite side. A case is registered case under the IPC Section 304 (a) (death caused due to negligence driving).
In a similar accident on Saturday morning, a van, mini lorry and three cars collided on the Chennai-Tiruchi National Highway. The incident, which occurred at Pakkam near Madurantakam saw no casualties.
However, nine people, of which eight were women were severely injured and are admitted at a government hospital in Madurantakam. Another accident happened on the Chennai-Tambaram Bypass road where two cars rammed into a container lorry, early on Saturday due to poor visibility. However, no casualties were reported.
