Madurai: Four persons, two of them Ayyappa devotees from Andhra Pradesh, were killed and 12 others injured in a road accident near Periyakulam in the wee hours of Wednesday.
A group of 18 devotees from MadÂanapalle in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh were returning from Sabarimala after offering worship there. The van in which they were travelling was coming in the ghat road section near Periyakulam rammed against a stationary lorry.
Having parked the lorry on the road, driver Muniyandi (55) of Thamaraikulam along with attendant Muthuselvam had gone to offer prayers at the roadside temple under a banyan tree on the opposite side.
On returning, Muniyandi was trying to get into the vehicle when the van hit the rear of the truck and, in the impact, overturned.
Lorry driver MunÂiyandi, van owner Imam Sahib (45) and AyyÂappa devoÂtees SenÂdrayalu (52) and RedÂdy Prasad (26) were killed on the spot. Twelve persons who travÂelled in the van suffered injuries.
Theni SP Mahesh inspected the accident spot. The injured were rescued and admitted to the Theni government medical college hospital. Three of them are being treated in the intensive care unit. The DevadhanÂapatti police registered a case and arrested van driver Maheswaran (36).
