RAMANATHAPURAM/ARUPPUKOTTAI
Two persons, including the driver of a van, were killed and at least seven others were injured in a collision involving a fish-laden van, a car and another van carrying pilgrims at Ariyaman near Uchipuli in Ramanathapuram district in the early hours of Tuesday.
Police said a group of 14 persons from Palladam were returning home in a van after offering worship at Ramanathaswamy Temple in Rameswaram on the occasion of ‘Masi Maha Sivarathri’ when the fish-laden van rammed the car and then collided with their van at 4.40 am.
The police said the fish van driver tried to overtake the car and the van from Palladam, but lost control on seeing an oncoming vehicle and rammed the car. Then the fish van and the car hit the van from Palladam.
The driver of the fish-laden van, Umar Ali, 45, of Pamban and P. Mithuna Kumar, 37, of Palladam died on the spot. At least seven persons, including three women from Palladam, suffered injuries in the accident, the police said.
The injured were admitted to Ramanathapuram Government Headquarters Hospital. After being administered first aid, those who came from Palladam were shifted to Coimbatore for further treatment, the police said.
Uchipuli police have registered a case.
In another accident that happened on Thoothukudi-Madurai highway near Pandalgudi in Virudhunagar district on Tuesday evening, R. Kannayiram, 45, a goldsmith in Coimbatore, and his wife Mareeswari, 40, were killed and two others from their family sustained multiple injuries, after their car hit a truck and went up in flames.
The police said Kannayiram and his family members were returning to Coimbatore after offering prayers to their family deity near Ettayapuram in Thoothukudi district on the occasion of Maha Sivarathri.
When the car was proceeding towards Aruppukottai, Murugaperumal, 39, younger brother of Kannayiram, who was behind the wheel, lost control of the vehicle, which hit the road median and rammed a truck coming in the opposite direction.
Immediately, the car went up in flames. Kannayiram was killed on the spot and Mareeswari died on the way to hospital.
Mr. Murugaperumal and Kannayiram’s mother-in-law Kaliyammal, who sustained fractures and burn injuries, have been admitted to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai.