Six members of a family were killed and two injured when the Maruti Omni in which they were travelling in was hit by a container lorry near Kuppanur Bypass on the Salem — Coimbatore National Highway 47 on Sunday evening.
The accident took place near Sankagiri when the family members were returning to Maniyanur in Salem after admitting Shalini (18) in a college in Coimbatore. The police said the container lorry was moving in the wrong direction on the right side and hit the Omni. In the impact, the van was completely damaged and six persons died on the spot. Ganesan (40) and Shalini survived and were admitted to a private hospital with serious injuries.
The deceased were identified as Indira (35), Gowtham (9), Leelavathi (55), Mangesh (26), Selvi (45) and Gopal (65). Their bodies were taken to Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital. Traffic was disrupted for an hour. Superintendent of Police R. Sakthivel visited the spot. Police are on the lookout for the driver of the container lorry.