The driver and cleaner of a private bus were killed when the vehicle collided head-on with a maida-laden lorry near Sulur on the outskirts, in the early hours of today.

The dead have been identified as Khaja Bashir (41), the driver hailing from Chennai, and Rajkumar (21), the cleaner, a resident of Kulithalai Pallapatti in Karur district, police said.

The bus was proceeding to Kochi from Chennai and the lorry traveling in the opposite direction when the mishap occurred at Palathural around 5.30 am.

The bodies have been sent to the government hospital for postmortem and police are investigating the matter.