Two persons were killed in different accidents in the Madurai rural district police limits in the wee hours of Sunday.
In the accident that took place on the Virudhunagar-Madurai Highway near Sivarakottai under the Kalligudi police station limits, P.Madhavi Latha (35) of Chokkikulam was killed and nine others were injured when the jeep in which they were travelling rammed an unidentified vehicle.
The police said a group of passengers was returning to Madurai after visiting Kanyakumari. M.Arumugam (35), who was behind the wheel, had reportedly dozed off, leading to the accident at around 3 a.m.
Since all the passengers in the vehicle were asleep, they did not notice the vehicle against which the jeep dashed, Tirumangalam Town Inspector Nagarajan said.
The police identified the injured as Arumugam, his wife Sangeetha, their daughter, Santhiya (2), S.Aravindan (25), Yuvapranesh (10), S.Anusiya (23), N.Usha Rani (57), N.Anil Kumar (34) and Praksh (31).
They were admitted to different hospitals, the police said.
In the other accident, the driver of a load autorickshaw, Masanamuthu (27) of Tuticorin, died after his vehicle had a head-on collision with a truck carrying iron rods on the Ring Road near Perungudi at around 2.45 a.m.
In the impact of the collision, the cabin portion of the autorickshaw got entangled with the truck and the driver who was seriously injured could not be pulled out.
“The driver had a cut injury on his neck, and he could also have suffered internal injuries as his chest dashed against the steering wheel,” Perungudi Sub-Inspector R.Malarvizhi said.
The 108 ambulance personnel who rushed to spot gave him first aid, but he succumbed to his injuries.
The cleaner of the vehicle, Dhiraviaraj (18) of Tuticorin, and the truck driver, Gurusamy of Valayankulam, were injured.
After a long struggle, Fire and Rescue Services personnel separated the vehicles and pulled Masanamuthu out.
