Eight people, including four women and three minors, died and nine were injured when a mini goods carrier transporting them plunged into an open well adjoining a village road at Thirumanur near Uppiliapuram in Tiruchi on Sunday.
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. when a group of 17 from Perur village, near Musiri, were on their way to S.N. Pudur village. The driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a barricade before plunging into the nearly 60-foot well abutting the road.
Police and firefighters rushed to the spot and carried out rescue operations. A couple of fire tenders — one each from Thuraiyur and Uppiliapuram fire station — were utilised to rescue those trapped inside.
A senior Fire and Rescue Services official, who was involved in the operation, said the well had nearly 5 feet of water. The vehicle had toppled inside, said another officer, adding that around 25 firefighters were involved in the rescue.
Armed with ropes, fire fighters rescued those who were alive, said the District Fire Officer, Tiruchi P. Pulukandi. Nine people were rescued, he added. However, eight died on the spot and some of them were crushed beneath the vehicle, the fire fighters said.
The police gave the names of the deceased as K. Gunaseelan, 75, G. Kumarathi, 52, D. Gomathi, 40, M. Kayalvizhi, 27, M. Sanjana, 4, I. Sarankumar, 6, G. Ezhilarasi, 60, and I. Yamuna, 10. The victims were from Perur and Sirunavalur villages. The injured were rushed to the government hospital at Thuraiyur and to private hospitals. The vehicle was driven by T. Ilayaraja, 35, who was injured.
The accident was caused due to the driver’s negligence, a police officer said. Superintendent of Police, Tiruchi, Ziaul Haque, who oversaw the rescue operations, told The Hindu that it was illegal to carry passengers in a goods carrier. Preliminary enquiries revealed that the driver was speeding.
District Collector S. Sivarasu visited the accident spot.
The post-mortem was conducted at the Thuraiyur Government Hospital and handed over to the relatives. The Uppiliapuram police have registered a case.