Two boys die, 27 injured as live wire falls on bus

Two boys were on Sunday charred to death and 27 others, including girls, were injured, when a tourist bus caught fire after a high tension wire snapped and fell on it in a freak accident at Agamalai near a dam in this district, police said.

According to police, the boys pulled a branch of a mango tree when the bus, carrying 62 students on a tour of some tourist spots, stopped near a tea shop.

However, the branch hit a dry frond of a nearby coconut tree, and in the impact, the frond fell on the high tension wire snapping it.

A part of the live wire fell on the bus, triggering a fire and causing electric shock to some occupants.

While two boys Mukesh and Karthick Selvam, aged 15 and 16, died on the spot, 27 boys and girls suffered burns.

Thirty-three others were not injured as they managed to alight immediately, police said, adding, locals put out the fire. The bus was partially damaged.

State Finance Minister O Panneerselvam rushed to the spot and made arrangements to send 20 boys and girls to the government hospital at Periyakulam while 7 others, who had serious burn injuries, were sent to the government medical college hospital at Theni, officials said.