THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Condoling the death of several people in an accident involving a bus and truck in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday directed two of his ministerial colleagues to rush to the neighbouring state to coordinate relief operations.

He also directed the Palakkad district collector to take necessary steps to provide medical aid to the injured and bring back the bodies of those from Kerala, the Chief Minister's Office said.

Transport Minister A K Saseendran and Agriculture Minister V S Sunil Kumar have been directed to rush to Tamil Nadu to coordinate relief operations.

The office of the chief minister said that they are in regular touch with Tirupur district administration and efforts were on to identify the bodies.

Twenty people were killed and several injured seriously when a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus collided with a container truck near Tamil Nadu's Avinashi town in Tirupur in the early hours on Thursday.

The Kerala government bus was heading to Ernakulam from Bengaluru on the Coimbatore- Salem highway when the accident occurred.