Four die, 24 sustain injuries as trucks collide in Tamil Nadu's Tirupur

COIMBATORE: Four people, three of them women, were killed and 24 others injured on Sunday morning, when the mini truck they were travelling in collided with another truck laden with plywood and turned turtle on Muthur-Kangeyam road in Tirupur district.
Chief minister M K Stalin was quick to express his condolences and announce a compensation of Rs2 lakh each to the family of the deceased and Rs50,000 each to the injured. He has also instructed doctors to provide the best possible treatment to the injured.

The Vellakovil police said the incident took place when 28 people from Kangeyam and surrounding villages were returning to their hometown from Kodumudi in Erode district after paying obeisance to one of their relatives, who died a year ago.
"They were all relatives. They offered prayers at the Cauvery river at Kodumudi in the morning, as part of the first death anniversary of their kin, and were heading back to their houses. When they reached Valipanankadu bus stop on Muthur-Kangeyam Road around 9.45am, another truck that was heading to Chennai from Kerala collided with the mini truck, which turned turtle. All the 28 passengers were trapped under the truck. Local people immediately rushed to the spot and started the rescue work," a police officer told TOI.
According to the officer, four passengers of the mini truck died on the spot, while another four sustained severe injuries.
He identified the deceased as N Kittusamy, 47, N Saroja, 50, G Poonkodi, 48, all residents of Pachapalayam village near Kangeyam, and G Tamilarai, 17, of Kangeyampalayam. "Their bodies were sent to the government hospital at Kangeyam for postmortem."
The officer said S Gayathri, 12, of Anjur village; G Indhumathi, 23, of Uthiyur; S Valarmathi, 26, of Kothanur; and K Palani, 50, of KGK Nagar at Kangeyam, were critically injured in the incident. "They are admitted to the government medical college hospital in Tirupur. They are under observation in the intensive care unit."
The remaining 20, including mini truck driver Arunkumar, 30, of Nathakattu Valasu near Kangeyam, escaped with minor injuries. They were taken to a private hospital in Erode.
The Vellakovil police have registered a case against truck driver C Selvam, 52, of Anguchettipalayam in Cuddalore district. Further investigation is on.