21 injured as electric bus rams barricade near Coimbatore; catches fire

A total of 21 passengers suffered injuries after a private electric bus they were travelling in rammed a barricade on Salem – Kochi Highway at Karumathampatti in Coimbatore district and caught fire in the early hours of Sunday (June 29, 2025).

The police said an electric bus bearing the registration number TN12 AZ 5800, plying on Tiruchi – Coimbatore route via Tiruppur and Avinashi, met with an accident around 2.30 a.m.

The accident took place when the bus, which left Tiruchi at 10.10 p.m., reached near a flyover around 2 km before Karumathampatti junction. It rammed the barricade on the left side of the highway, which separates the service road, and subsequently caught fire. All the 26 persons on board, including the driver and the conductor, managed to come out before flames engulfed the bus, gutting it completely, said the police.

The 21 passengers, who suffered minor to moderate injuries, were rushed to hospitals in Tiruppur and Coimbatore.

Firefighters from Karumathampatti and Sulur stations rushed to the spot after receiving alerts. The bus was completely gutted before fire brigades managed to put out the flames, the police said.

According to the police, A. Pasupathi, 29, of Tiruvannamalai drove the bus and S. Abishek, 21, of Madurai was the conductor. The Karumathampatti police have launched an investigation into the accident.

Truck drivers, the first responders

Two truck drivers were among the first to help the passengers escape from the bus after it met with the accident. The truck drivers, identified as C. Sabaraimalai (29) and M. Ramesh (29) of Virudhunagar district, spotted the bus when they were heading to Coimbatore.

They halted the truck and broke glass windows of the bus, through which passengers could come out as the front door on the left side was damaged in the impact of the collision. The Coimbatore District Police lauded them for their swift and timely rescue efforts.