Six persons were killed in an accident involving a car and a tipper lorry at Sarasampatti near Veeranampatti on the Mylampatti-Palayam Road in Karur district on Wednesday.
The cattle traders were returning to Udhagamandalam from Manapparai in neighbouring Tiruchi district when the tipper lorry from Karikali to Ariyalur collided with the car killing the occupants on the spot. The accident occurred after the driver lost control of the vehicle. In the impact, the tipper lorry skidded to one side, dragged the car along its way and dashed against a culvert parapet. The car was left precariously hanging over a roadside well, the police said.
The dead were identified as Sheikh Abdullah (38), who is also the Nilgiris District secretary of the Manitha Neya Makkal Katchi, Syed Sadiq (37), Ooty town secretary of the party; Abdul Gani alias Yunus (42), Yasin (22), Masthan (32) and Sahib (32), all hailing from Udhagamandalam and nearby areas.
The police and Fire and Rescue Services personnel rushed to the spot and extricated the bodies from the car. The bodies were sent to Karur Government Hospital for post mortem.