Two TN women killed in Munnar tourist bus mishap

Idukki: Two women from Tamil Nadu were killed and several others injured after a mini bus carrying tourists veered off Kochi-Dhanushkodi national highway and plunged into a tea plantation near Periyakanal in Munnar on Thursday evening.The deceased were identified as Stella Mary (58) and Bhagya Jyothi (50), both natives of Virudhunagar district.The accident took place around 4pm when a 28-member tourist group from Virudhunagar and Aruppukottai was returning after visiting Munnar. The bus was carrying 18 women, four men and six children.According to officials, the driver lost control of the vehicle at a curve. The mini bus rammed a culvert before falling more than 50ft into the tea estate below.Locals and motorists who witnessed the accident jointly began rescue operations to evacuate passengers trapped in the vehicle. Mary, who suffered severe head injuries, was rushed to Tata High Range Hospital in Munnar but she succumbed to her injuries. Twenty-two other injured are undergoing treatment at the hospitalSix seriously injured persons, including Jyothi, were shifted to Theni medical college hospital in Tamil Nadu, where she succumbed to injuries. tnn