Seven people travelling in a car to Bengaluru were crushed to death when the vehicle rammed a stationary container lorry parked on the roadside on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway near Ambur.
The police said one of the victims was identified as Melwyn Deshmuk, 48, from Bhusawal in Maharashtra, who worked there as a head constable with the Railway Protection Force.
It was believed that he and his relatives, including three men, two women and a child, were returning to Bengaluru after a tour of Vellore.
The accident occurred around 2.45 p.m., when one of the car’s tyres burst. Within seconds the car rammed the parked lorry and went beneath the rear portion, killing all occupants, a police personnel said.
This led to a huge traffic snarl on the thoroughfare and it took almost an hour for the policemen to retrieve the bodies from the wreckage.
Vellore Range Deputy Inspector General of Police V. Vanitha and Vellore Superintendent of Police K. Pravesh Kumar went to the spot on receiving the message.
Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ambur, C.K. Sachithanantham and his team of officials were involved in the recovery of bodies and transporting them to the Ambur Government Hospital for post-mortem. The Ambur Taluk police registered a case and are investigating.