Four persons were killed and one was injured when a maxivan hit a roadside tea stall at Thirupoondi in Keezhayur on Tuesday. The van, heading from Nagapattinam to Thiruthiraipoondi, was trying to overtake another truck when the driver lost control of the vehicle. Veeramani, Chandrashekaran, Pichayammal and an unidentified man at the tea stall were killed on the spot. The injured, Subramaniam, was admitted to the Nagapattinam Government Hospital. The driver has absconded.