Chennai: Eleven persons, including five women and a child, were killed in two separate road accidents in Thanjavur and Virudhunagar, on Sunday.
According to Virudhunagar police, nearly 23 persons from Madhankovilpatti in Virudhunagar district and Sankarankovil in Tirunelveli district were on a pilgrimage to Mariamman Temple in Irukkangudi on Sunday.
“While they were returning in a van near Ramachandrapuram Junction on Sattur - Thayilpatti Road near Sattur at around 2.15 pm, the axle of the front left wheel of the van snapped sending the speeding van off the road,” the police said.
Due to the impact, the van turned upside down. M. Guruvammal (18), M. Petichiammal (50), M. Amudha, (45), P. Keeramanikandan, (34), K. Pothaiah, (65), and B. Guruvammal, (65) died in the accident. Meanwhile, 17 others, including 11 women have been admitted to the government hospital in Sattur.
In another incident on Trichy - Thanjavur National Highway, a car rammed a parked lorry killing five including a child. The deceased were identified as Dhakshinamurthy (55), car driver Aravind (27), Vijayakumar (27), Vijayakumar's daughter Thanusri (3), and wife Saranya (24), residents of Kilvasthachavadi near Thanjavur.
“The family of eight had gone to Thiruchendur Murugan Temple in a car driven by Aravind, on Saturday,” the local police said. The family was returning on Sunday morning.
“When the car reached near Vilar on Trichy-Thanjavur NH, it rammed into a lorry parked on the roadside,” the police added. While Dhakshinamurthy, Vijayakumar, Thanusri and Aravind died on the spot, Saranya succumbed to her injuries before reaching the hospital. Sai Varshini (10), Sirvarsha (12), and Umarani (50) are admitted to a Thanjavur government medical college hospital. Thanjavur district collector Annadurai visited the injured persons at the hospital.
