COIMBATORE: A Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) bus driver died of a suspected heart attack while driving the vehicle near Kuniyamuthur here on Wednesday, and an autorickshaw driver died after the out-of-control bus hit his vehicle. Two others suffered injuries in the accident.Police said the TNSTC bus, carrying more than 40 passengers, was heading from Palathurai to Ukkadam on Wednesday morning. When the bus reached the Sunnambu Kalavai area near Kuniyamuthur, the driver, identified as T Martin, 54, of Jothi Nagar at Singanallur, complained of an acute chest pain and collapsed on his seat within moments.The out-of-control bus veered erratically across the busy road, crashing into a car, an autorickshaw, and a few two-wheelers moving ahead. The autorickshaw was crushed completely, killing its driver, Noor Mohammad, 51, of Annamma Naicker Street in Kuniyamuthur, on the spot.Bus conductor Parameswaran rushed to the driver’s cabin and applied the brake, bringing the vehicle to a halt.Motorcycle rider S Abbas, 46, from Palakkad Main Road near Kuniyamuthur, suffered grievous injuries in the collision. A terrified passenger, identified as Nageswari, 51, jumped off the moving bus and fractured her limbs. Passersby rushed both the injured to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.The Traffic Investigation Wing (West) of the city police sent the bodies of Martin and Noor Mohammad for postmortem and registered a case.
