Tamil Nadu: Eight killed, three others injured in transport building collapse in Nagapattinam

Nagapattinam, Oct 20: In a tragic incident on Friday, atleast eight crew members of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) were killed and three others sustained grievous injuries after a portion of a decade-old TNSTC building collapsed at Porayar in Tamil Nadu’s Nagapattinam.Police said as many as 11 drivers and conductors, who were scheduled to operate morning services were asleep in the rest room of the depot, when it collapsed at 0330 hrs, killing eight of them on the spot. On information, senior police officials and personnel of Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services Department rushed to the spot and rescued the three injured bus crew from the debris and admitted them to the government hospital at Karaikal. The building constructed around 70 years ago was in a dilapidated condition, reports said. Meanwhile, irate over the incident, transport employees affiliated to various trade unions and their relatives’ gheroed Tamil Nadu Minister for Transport Vijayabhaskar and Nagapattinam district collector Dr S Suresh Kumar, when they visited the accident site, demanding justice for the death of eight crews and suitable compensation for their families. The Transport Minister assured the agitated transport employees of providing all assistance to the families of deceased crews. Later, talking to newsmen, he said the very old depots of TNSTC would be demolished and new buildings will be constructed by the government shortly. The collector ordered to constitute an enquiry commission to probe the incident. Meanwhile, enraged over the incident, the bus crews of Nagapattinam and Porayar depots resorted to protest and refused to ply the buses to various destinations. UNI