Two charred to death as minivan goes up in flames near Trichy

TRICHY: Two men were charred to death and four others were injured when a minivan they were travelling in caught fire after ramming a roadside tree near Thiruengoimalai in Trichy in the early hours on Friday.
The deceased have been identified as Viswanthan, 42, of Kollaputhur in Erode district and minivan driver Veera Manikandan, 27. Viswanathan’s wife, Loganayagi, 27, their four-year-old son and relatives Arumugam, 55, and Chellammal, 50, were injured in the accident.
The accident happened in Thiruengoimalai area around 1am when they were returning home after visiting the Sri Saneeswara Bagwan Temple in Thirunallar.
The driver lost control of the minivan, and the vehicle rammed a road side tree. The front side of the vehicle caught fire. Local people broke open the rear windshield of the minivan and pulled out four passengers. Viswanathan and Manikandan, who got stuck in the damaged portion, were charred to death.
The Thottiyam police recovered the bodies. The injured were admitted to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital here.