Perambalur, Sept 24:
Four people, including a woman, were killed and three others seriously injured after a car rammed into the rear of an omni bus on the Tiruchirappalli-Chennai National Highway near Thuraimangalam in Perambalur district early Thursday.
The victims, from Mudhukulathur in Ramanathapuram district, were returning to Chennai after attending a wedding. The seven-member group had left Ramanathapuram on Wednesday night, with Kannadasan driving the car.
Around 2.30 am, the car reportedly crashed into the rear of an omni bus travelling from Thoothukudi to Chennai. The front portion of the car was completely mangled in the impact.
Prabhakaran and Kaleeswaran died on the spot. Five others who were trapped inside the car were rescued and taken to government hospitals in Perambalur and Tiruchirappalli. Karthik and his wife Surya later succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment.
Kannadasan, John Kennedy and Saranya are undergoing intensive treatment at Tiruchirappalli Government Hospital.
The 34 passengers travelling in the omni bus were shifted to another bus and sent to Chennai. Traffic on the highway was disrupted briefly as police cleared the damaged vehicles from the road.
Perambalur Town police have registered a case and launched an investigation. Omni bus driver Rajaseelan, 45, from Nazareth in Thoothukudi district, has been arrested and is being questioned.