Coimbatore : At least 20 people, including six women were killed in a head on collision of Kerala bound Government bus and a container lorry in Avanashi in Tirupur district, about 40 Kms from here in the early hours of Thursday.

While the 20 bus passengers died on the spot, some persons wer admitted to the Government and private hospital in Tirupur, police said.

The Kerala State owjed luxury bus was going to Ernakulam from Bengaluru, while the tiles-laden container lorry coming to them city when the mishap occured on Coimbatore-Salem Highway at 4.30 AM.

Both the vehicles were totally damaged under the impact of the collision.

Hearing about the incident, the Tirupur District Collector, K Vijayakarthkeyan and senior district and police officials rushed to the spot and involved in rescue operations.

Vijayakarthiikeyan has already informed his counterpart min Palakkad in Kerala, official sources said.