Pregnant woman, baby among eight killed in collision on Salem-Coimbatore Highway

A tragic collision on the Salem-Coimbatore Highway kills eight, including a pregnant woman and an infant, injuring four others.

A pregnant woman and an 11-month old baby were among eight people killed in a multiple-vehicle collision on the Salem-Coimbatore National Highway on Friday (March 20, 2026). Four others were injured.

The accident occurred around 11 a.m. when a government bus travelling to Salem from Erode with more than 30 passengers lost control near Utamasolapuram. The bus, driven by Ayyandurai, 49, of Periya Vanavasi in Salem district, allegedly suffered a brake failure, causing the driver to lose control.

The bus veered onto the opposite side of the highway and collided with a two-wheeler and a pickup van. The van was carrying 11 people from Neikarapatti who were on their way to Kalparapatti to attend a temple festival.

Four people died on the spot, while eight others sustained grievous injuries. Local residents and passersby rescued the injured and sent them to private and government hospitals in ambulances.

Among those killed in the pickup van were Selvaraj, 60, of Neikarapatti; his granddaughters Jeevika, aged 11 months, and Nithishka, 5; his daughter-in-law Sathya, 25, who was three months pregnant; and relatives Amutha and Murugan. Selvaraj’s son Meganathan, 23, who was driving the van, was among the injured and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital along with three others.

Police identified the other deceased as S. Manikandan, 21, a second-year college student, and his mother S. Irusayee, 50, residents of Santhanakarankadu near Puthur, who were travelling on a two-wheeler to a nearby hospital at the time of the accident.