Nine Ayyappa devotees were killed when a van in which they were travelling rammed a stationary lorry near Thoppur Camp bordering Dharmapuri district in the early hours of Sunday.
According to police, the devotees were returning to Thandikuppam near Chittur in Andhra Pradesh from Sabarimala.
The deceased were identified as V. Rajendran (28), V. Srinivasulu (25), V. Subramanian (36), V. Chinna Papammal (50), G. Ravi Teja (12), V. Suresh, V. Mohan (28), V. Kumar and S. Ramesh.
The injured Ganesan (44) was admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Dharmapuri. Y. John Nicholson, Superintendent of Police, Salem, and other officials rushed to the spot.
3 die in collision
Special Correspondent from Coimbatore writes:
Three persons were killed on the spot when a car in which they were travelling collided with a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation bus at Pasur near Annur in the small hours of Sunday.
According to police, Ananthakrishnan, hailing from KK Pudur in the city and working as a branch manager in a nationalised bank at Ernakulam, was returning along with his wife Padma (48), son Vino (18) and daughter Ananya (13) after visiting the Kollur Mookambika temple near Mangalore.
While, Ananthakrishnan, Padma and Maharajan, the car driver, died on the spot, Vino and Ananya have been admitted to a hospital.
