As many as seven women were killed and 13 people were critically injured in a road accident in Tamil Nadu. The accident took place after a speeding truck collided with a tourist van parked on the road near Natrampalli in Tirupattur district of Tamil Nadu in the early hours of Monday.
The police said that all the individuals who lost their lives were residents of the same village and were heading back home after a two-day trip to Karnataka's Mysore. The victims were seated on the road side when the accident happened.
Injured people admitted to hospital
The deceased have been identified as Meera, Deivanai, Sithammal alias Selvi, Devaki, Savithri, Kalavathi and Geethanjali. Among the injured ten were passengers of the ill-fated van and three persons from the lorry. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The victims were members of a group from Onanguttai village, located near Ambur in Vellore district. They had set out on a journey to Dharmasala in Karnataka on September 8.
Mini-truck collided with van
All the villagers had boarded two vans. The tyre of one of the vehicles burst near Natrampalli on the Bengaluru-Chennai national highway and was undergoing repairs. Meanwhile, some passengers got out of the van and sat on the road's median. At that moment, a mini-truck travelling from Krishnagiri collided with the van that was under repair, resulting in the mini-truck crushing the people sitting in front of it on the center median.
According to Tirupathur Police Officials, "It was early morning with less visibility, and the van was stationary at a sharp turn, which could have been the reason for the speedy mini-truck’s collision with the van. In the incident, seven women were dead on the spot, and 10 people got critical injuries.” The Natrampalli police have registered a case.
CM announces ex-gratia
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin has expressed deep condolences and sympathies to the families of the victims. He has announced compensation of Rs 1 lakh to each of the affected families and Rs 50,000 from the Chief Minister's Public Relief Fund to those injured and currently receiving treatment.
(With agencies input)
