Passengers blame it on drowsy driver

NAMAKKAL: The  negligence of the bus driver is said to have led to the mishap in Namakkal, which claimed the lives of five pilgrims.One of the victims, K Karunanidhi arranged the tour and he took his 24-year-old son along with him to varioius places in different parts of Tamil Nadu.“The driver, Nagesh, was looking drowsy right from the beginning. In fact Nagesh dozed off twice during the journey and this created fear among passengers. Just before the accident, Karunanidhi asked him to the stop the vehicle and asked him to sleep for some time,” a grief stricken passenger Raghu recalled and added that the driver was not normal even after that break. Karunanidhi, who then became alert, sat by the side of the driver and was constantly talking with him to keep the driver alert.  But Karunanidhi’s efforts failed when the bus hit the lorry, fellow passengers said. The police could not confirm whether the bus rammed into a stationary lorry or the one in motion.DSP Subramaniam said, “Some passengers claimed that the lorry was not on the move, while a few others said it was rolling slowly. The driver hit it while trying to overtake. A clear picture will emerge only after interrogations with the lorry driver, who has gone missing after accident.”Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare S GandhiSelvan visited the GH, where the bodies were kept, and consoled the injured.