It was a chance glance at the news flashing on television channels that led Imran to the Sembium Police Station in Perambur, looking for his brother Ibrahim (34). Talking to DT Next over the phone while on his way to Ooty, Imran, while sobbing inconsolably, said that they only know that his brother and friends were on a trip to Masinagudi.

Ibrahim, a two-wheeler mechanic from Perambur, was with six close friends, all hailing from North Chennai. The car in which they were travelling was found in a gorge in the forests of Ooty on Wednesday. They all belong to North Chennai and have been into various professions, including a lawyer, a lorry owner and the like. Ibrahim is survived by his wife Fathima, a 3-year-old daughter and a seven-month-old son.

“They had planned the trip and left home on October 1. I hadn’t heard from him after that. I was watching the TV news on Wednesday when I came across this piece of news. I approached the Sembium Police Station immediately and to my shock, the police themselves had no news of the accident. Later, the police contacted the Pudhu Mandhai Police Station and learnt about the accident,” he said.

Ibrahim, is the son of Khader Baig and has three others siblings, including Imran. They stay as a joint family in Vyasarpadi.

Talking to this newspaper, a police officer from K1 Sembium station said that they were awaiting details of the accident and the victims. When Pudu Mandhai police officials were contacted, they said they would have a clear picture only in the morning, as rescue operations were still on. “We were tracking the accident details on news. We will have more details only when the families of the victims reach here,” said the officer.