An aged man and woman were killed and 12 others of three families, including six women and three children, who were on a pilgrimage to Erwadi Dargah were injured when the van in which they were travelling rammed a stationary truck at Vadavayal under Thirupalaikudi police limits on Friday.
Police said the victims, hailing from Jalalpuram in Salem, had set out for Erwadi on Thursday night after celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr and they were about to reach the pilgrimage centre when the accident occurred.
Another accident
Even before they could recover from the shock, tragedy struck them again when the 108 ambulance, which carried them to the hospital, met with an accident after the pilot rammed the vehicle into a truck while trying to overtake it, the police said.
After the ambulance met with the accident at Kazhanikudi under Devipattinam police limits, the injured, including ambulance pilot S Prabakaran (32) and a technical assistant, N. Minor (28), were taken in another ambulance and admitted to hospital.
S. Syed Hussain (70), husband of Jagamath Begum (60), one of the injured women, died on the way to the hospital.
In the evening, Salman Nisha (70) succumbed to the injuries, the police said.
While two of the seriously injured, including the ambulance pilot, were referred to Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, the others were treated at Ramanathapuram Headquarters Hospital.
Collector S. Natarajan, accompanied by Joint Director of Health Stephen Sagayaraj and Hospital Superintendent K. Krishnamoorthy, visited the injured at the hospital.
