Thirty-eight passengers were injured, a couple of them seriously, when a Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus fell off the city's arterial Anna flyover today around 2 p.m.
Over half-a-dozen ambulances and a fire tender were rushed to the accident site and more than 50 policemen and fire service personnel were pressed into service to rescue passengers trapped inside the bus. While some passengers were moved to Royapettah General Hospital, the rest were admitted to Apollo Hospital.
This reporter was stuck in the huge traffic jam on the flyover a few minutes after this accident. Many commuters parked their vehicles along the flyover to gawk at the accident, adding to the melee.
The bus (Route No 17 M), was headed to Vadapalani from Parry’s Corner.
According to a few eyewitnesses, as the bus negotiated a left turn on the exit to the flyover, that leads to Nungambakkam High Road, the driver lost control and the bus ran into the parapet wall on the right and fell on the road below.
A police official on the accident spot said that despite snarling traffic on all key approaches, the ambulances managed to reach the site within 10 minutes, and in 30-40 minutes all passengers were evacuated from the bus. Later in the evening, the injured driver and conductor of the bus were arrested and suspended.
The flyover, earlier called the Gemini flyover because of the movie studio located at this busy junction, was built by East Coast Construction and Industries in 1973. The flyover, a major landmark in Chennai, was the only one for many years in the city.
A continuation of Anna Salai (Mount Road), it goes over a major intersection of Nungambakkam High Road and Cathedral Road with the US Consulate located at this junction as well.
A report from Apollo Hospitals says it sent several ambulances and rescued victims immediately.
Twenty-eight injured victims were brought to Apollo, the first patient was received within 15 minutes of receiving the call, it said.
The stable patients were reassured, given refreshments and sent home by hospital transport.
The State Minister for Health, Dr V.S. Vijay, and the Social Welfare Minister, Ms B. Valarmathi, and the Mayor, Mr Saidai Duraisamy, visited the patients and reassured them.
The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms J. Jayalalithaa, announced cash assistance of Rs 25,000 for the seriously injured and Rs 10,000 for those with minor injuries.