Schoolgirl injured in auto-bus crash dies

Tirunelveli: Three days after she was severely injured in an accident, Selvabala, 15, a Class X student, succumbed to her injuries at Tirunelveli Govt Medical College Hospital on Monday night.Police said Selvabala and two other children were proceeding to school in an autorickshaw on Friday (Feb 20) morning. Meanwhile, Isakkiyappan, 30, driver at a private engineering college in Thatchanallur, was beginning his morning shift and driving the college bus along Tirunelveli-Kadayam road with no occupants. Police said the bus, which was speeding, ploughed into the oncoming autorickshaw ferrying the schoolchildren at Suthamalli.The auto's front windscreen was shattered in the impact, and the driver, along with the three students, was thrown onto the road with critical injuries. People nearby rescued them and sent them to Tirunelveli medical college hospital for treatment.Suthamalli police who arrived at the spot found that the driver was under the influence of alcohol. They arrested him, and a case was registered under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of BNS. Selvabala succumbed to a severe head injury on Monday night. The remaining two children and the driver are receiving treatment, and their condition is stable.