In two separate incidents on Sunday, two TNSTC bus drivers died following sudden cardiac arrest while on duty.
In one of the incidents, the passengers had a miraculous escape when the driver developed chest pain while he was at the wheel.
The Thanjavur bound TNSTC bus started from Salem on Sunday morning with A Ganesan, 46, at the wheel. After dropping passengers at Keelapaluvur at Ariyalur district, the bus moved a few metres when the driver felt a severe chest pain. He managed to stop the bus by driving it in to a road side electric post.
Passengers rushed him to a nearby private hospital but he was declared brought dead. Keelapaluvur police recovered the body and sent it to Ariyalur government hospital for post mortem. A case has been registered in this regard and further investigation is on. In another incident, a Mettupalayam bound TNSTC bus had halted at a tea shop near Karur in the late hours on Saturday. Driver Ramesh, 52, hailing from Mettupalayam collapsed at the tea shop after a sudden cardiac arrest. Although he was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, he was declared brought dead by the doctor. His body was later sent to Karur government hospital for post mortem.