Three people died and four were injured when a car hit an omnibus in Tamil Nadu's Perambalur. In a separate incident, nine people were killed after a passenger bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway near Greater Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

3 Dead in Perambalur Car Crash

Three people were killed and four others, including two women, were seriously injured after a car rammed into the rear of a private omnibus on the Trichy-Chennai National Highway (NH-38) near Thuraimangalam in Perambalur district in the early hours of Thursday.

According to police, Karthi (38), a resident of Orivayal village in Mudukulathur, Ramanathapuram district, who was working in Chennai, had travelled to his native village along with his wife Surya and friends to attend his brother's wedding. After the wedding, the group was returning to Chennai in the car when the vehicle collided at high speed with the rear of the omnibus travelling ahead near Thuraimangalam on NH-38.

On receiving information, personnel from the Perambalur Town Police rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to the Perambalur Government Hospital. Two occupants of the car, identified as Kaja alias Kaliswaran of Orivayal and Prabhakaran of Rasikulam, died on the spot. Karthi, who had sustained severe injuries, later succumbed while undergoing treatment at the Perambalur Government Hospital.

Karthi's wife Surya, along with car driver Kannadasan, John Kennedy and Saranya, were admitted to the Perambalur Government Hospital. Surya, who suffered serious injuries, was later shifted to a hospital in Tiruchirappalli for further treatment. Police recovered the bodies and sent them to the government hospital for post-mortem examination. The Perambalur Town Police have registered a case and are questioning the driver of the omnibus, identified as Rajaseelan of Thoothukudi, as part of their investigation into the accident.

9 Killed in Bus Fire on Yamuna Expressway

Meanwhile, in another case from Uttar Pradesh's Greater Noida, nine people, including one woman and eight men, died after a passenger bus caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway on 23rd September, late Wednesday night, Jewar Police said. The bus was travelling from Delhi when it suddenly caught fire on the expressway under the Jewar police station area of Greater Noida.

Harrowing Escape for Survivors

Passengers who managed to escape recounted harrowing scenes inside the packed bus. While speaking to ANI, passengers recounted harrowing moments of chaos, suffocating smoke, and a stampede-like situation inside the packed bus, with most passengers asleep when the fire broke out.

"After I fell asleep, someone woke me up, saying the bus had caught fire, and we all scrambled to get out. It was not an easy situation to escape from; there was a lot of smoke. We somehow managed to get out in a state of panic. The bus was packed with passengers," a passenger said.

Another passenger said she woke up to banging on the door and a huge crowd. "I was asleep when someone banged on the door. When I woke up, there was already a huge crowd. I didn't pick up any of my belongings; I didn't even put on my shoes. I just grabbed my phone and stepped out. It was so crowded that people were shoving each other. I was pushed around, and someone eventually pulled me out. I don't remember anything else after that," the passenger told ANI.

She described how thick, toxic smoke blinded commuters within seconds, leaving little time to evacuate. "It was filled with smoke; the scene was chaotic, and getting out was extremely difficult. It was so smoky that nothing was visible; people were suffocating inside. Very few managed to escape, only those who could push their way out amidst the shoving. Many people lost their lives. There were quite a few people behind me who probably couldn't make it out, as I myself got out quite late," the passenger added.

Further details are awaited. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)