Four workers were killed and 11 others injured after a sports utility vehicle (SUV) in which they were travelling overturned on West Bargur hills on Sunday.
All 15 persons, including the driver, from the Thambureddy tribal hamlet, were on their way to work on a farm in Vattakadu village, Anthiyur.
The accident took place near Maniyachi Pallam, on the hill road leading to Thamaraikarai, after the driver lost control of the vehicle while on the steep slope. Four persons — P. Thevaraj, 45, Chikannan, 46, K. Thottappi, 45, and R. Jogan, 40 — died on the spot, while 11 others suffered injuries.
Roadusers informed the 108 ambulance service, and the injured were shifted to hospitals. While three of them were taken to a primary health centre in Bargur, eight others were admitted to a government hospital at Anthiyur. The police said the vehicle was overloaded. The Bargur police are investigating.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that the vehicle was overloaded as 15 persons were travelling against the capacity of 10. Also, the hill road at the spot was a steep slope and the driver could have lost control of the vehicle, the police said. Bargur police are investigating.
