Coimbatore: Man killed, 19 injured in van accident

COIMBATORE: A 25-year-old man was killed and 19 people were injured after a pickup van carrying a Ganesha idol overturned at Pungampalayam in Karamadai on Friday night.
The deceased was identified as K Ramesh of Karamadai, a construction worker. The vehicle was arranged by Hindu Munnani to take a 3.5-foot-tall Ganesha idol to Bhavani River in Mettupalayam for immersion, police said.
Twenty devotees accompanied the idol. R Pradeep of Karamadai, who was behind the wheel, lost control over the vehicle, which hit a pothole and overturned. Ramesh sustained serious injuries and died on the spot. Nineteen devotees, who suffered minor injuries, were sent to nearby hospitals.
The body was handed over to Ramesh’s family after postmortem.
Meanwhile, more than 200 idols were taken from Karamadai and surrounding areas to Bhavani River on Friday for immersion. The rural police had deployed 800 cops in Mettupalayam to prevent any untoward incident.