Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief at the death of the people who were killed after a truck and a Kerala-bound bus collided in Avinashi town of Tamil Nadu's Tirupur district on Thursday morning.
Nineteen people were killed and over 20 were seriously injured in the accident.
"Extremely anguished by the bus accident in Tamil Nadu's Tiruppur district. In this hour of grief, my thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families. I hope those who are injured recover at the earliest," the PMO tweeted.
A Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus with 48 passengers on its way to Ernakulam in Kerala from Bengaluru in Karnataka when the mishap occurred on the Coimbatore-Salem highway.
Those who were killed included 6 women and the injured have been taken to hospitals in Tirupur and Coimbatore.
Twenty-three passengers with serious injuries were admitted to the Tirupur Government Hospital, sources said.
Kerala Transport Minister AK Saseendran had told : "Senior officials from KSRTC have rushed to the site. 20 are feared dead and several others injured. Tirupur district collector is camping in the site."
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had instructed the District Collector of Palakkad to provide emergency medical care to the victims of the accident and make arrangements to bring back the bodies of the deceased.
( With inputs from ANI )