Five persons were killed and 12 others injured after a mini lorry carrying 18 people fell into a 50 feet gorge at Kadamparai in Coimbatore late on Wednesday.
All the passengers in the vehicle were from a tribal settlement of Mavadappu near Kadamparai hydroelectric power plant which is located inside Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR).
The accident took place around 11 p.m. when the mini lorry was returning to the tribal settlement from the market at Kottur where they had come for weekly purchases. The police said that driver lost control of the vehicle which fell into a gorge as it reached the ninth bend on the power station road.
The deceased have been identified as V. Selvi (32), her husband S. Vellaiyan (45), J. Mallappan (36), P. Raman (45), and K. Thannasi (34), all hailing from Kurumalai, Mavadappu.
Eight women and four men were injured in the accident. V. Rajkumar (10), son of Selvi and Vellaiyan was the only passenger who escaped without sustaining any injury. Of the 12 injured, nine were admitted to the Government Hospital Pollachi, while three with serious injuries were shifted to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital.
The police said that V. Rajan (40) of Kulipatti, who did not have a driving licence, was behind the wheel. He suffered injuries in legs, hands and head.
