Chennai, July 3 (BPNS)

An IT professional, Muthumari (29) was killed and 17 other IT professionals of a private company were seriously injured when a tourist van in which they were traveling to Masinagudi in Nilgiris fell off a Kalhatti Ghat road on Sunday early morning.

The IT staff were traveling for a holiday trip to the hill destination of Masinagudi in the Nilgiris district.

Two persons working with the resort, W. Vinod Kumar (25) from Chennai and G. Joseph (26) from Coimbatore were arrested for misguiding the van driver.

Police told media persons that people from outside were not permitted to descend the Kalhatti ghat road due to the sharp gradients that have caused major accidents in the past few years. The Van was guided by Vinod and Joseph who were on a motorcycle. According to the police charge sheet, they made a detour and went past the police check post at Thalakundath junction.

Police who are stationed at the junction divert the vehicles from descending the ghat road and divert traffic towards Masanagudi and Gudalur.

Vinod Kumar, Joseph, and the driver of the van have been booked under Sections 279 (rash driving in public place), 337, and 338 (causing hurt to persons by doing harsh or rash or negligent acts endangering human life) and 304 A (rash or negligent driving ) of the Indian Penal Code.