3 tourists from Chennai killed, 10 hurt in mishap
The seven others including van driver, Alagarswamy, were treated at Arupukkottai Government hospital.
VIRUDHUNAGAR: At least three tourists were killed and 10 others were injured when the van in which they were travelling hit a lorry at Chettikurichi junction in NH near Aruppukottai in Viridhunagar district on Saturday morning.
The deceased were identified as A Maharajan (43) and Bhagyalakshmi (65) from Thiruvanmiyur and Manonmani (35) from Neelankarai in Chennai, while four others including Pavithra (19), Neerajan (17) and two children who sustained grievous injuries were rushed to the Madurai Government Rajaji hospital.
The seven others including van driver, Alagarswamy, were treated at Arupukkottai Government hospital. In all, 17 tourists from Chennai were on their way to Kulasekharapattinam in Thoothukudi district to participate in ‘dasara’ festival in a van, police said.
When they were neared Chettikurichi junction around 9 am, the driver Alagarswamy tried to overtake a lorry loaded with empty gas cylinders, but lost control of the vehicle and rammed into the lorry.
The locals informed the incident to the police, who rushed to the spot and moved the injured persons to the hospital. As many as seven children travelled in the vehicle out of whom two sustained grievous injures, said the police officer. A case has been registered and investigations are on.