Chennai / Tiruchi: Eight members of a family from Medavakkam in the city, including three women and two children, died when a sport utility vehicle (SUV) they were travelling in rammed a truck parked on the side of the National Highway 45 near Samayapuram this morning.
The ghastly mishap happened near Samayapuram toll plaza on the Chennnai-Tiruchi national highway during the early hours of today.
Sources said occupants of the car belonging to the same family were on their way to Pettavaithalai near Tiruchi.
According to the police, the speeding car with 13 persons on board rammed into the stationary lorry bearing Andhra Pradesh registration number. The lorry was laden with iron rods meant for transport to a private unit at Tiruchi.
“While approaching the Samayapuram toll plaza around 5 am, the driver lost control of the SUV. The vehicle rammed the lorry. People n nearby shops and toll plaza rushed to the spot for rescue, besides alerting the Samayapuram police.”
While the dead include a 11-year old boy and a 12-year old girl, five persons with injuries were rushed to a hospital nearby. “Traffic was hit for a brief period following the incident. Officials rushed to the spot and sent the bodies to a government hospital. Movement of vehicles was restored after the mangled remains of the SUV were cleared from the place,” added sources.
The deceased have been identified as M Subramani (65), S Jayalakshmi (58), S Balamurugan (42), S Vijayaraghavan (36), Manjunathan (40), V Gomathi (30), M Kandasamy (11), and M Nivetha (12). The injured, including a two-year-old girl child and a three-year-old girl, are undergoing treatment at the Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital at Tiruchi.
The driver of the lorry S Venkatesh has been detained. The truck, investigation officials found, belongs to one M Naresh Neelavalli of Nayudupetta in Andhra Pradesh. Superintendent of Police Ziaul Haque inspected the accident spot and conducted inquiries. The family was going to their newly constructed house at Pettavaithalai, it is said.
3 killed in another accident
Meanwhile, three persons lost their lives in another road mishap at Aravakurichi today, reports stated.