Madurai, July 13 -- Five people were killed and 42 others, including children, were injured after a private bus collided head-on with a government bus in Tamil Nadu's Madurai district in the early hours of Monday, police said.

The private bus had departed from Chennai for Marthandam with a large number of passengers on board.

According to Madurai police, the accident occurred on the four-lane highway near Vandinagar, close to Kottampatti, when the driver of the private bus allegedly lost control of the vehicle, crossed the median and entered the opposite lane, colliding head-on with a government bus travelling from Madurai to Tiruchirappalli.

The impact severely damaged the front portion of the private bus, while the government bus ove...