Ten Ayyappa devotees from Telangana died and five were injured after a lorry rammed the van they were travelling in, on the Tirumayam bypass in the district on Sunday.
The accident occurred around 2.30 p.m. when 15 devotees were heading back to Telangana from Sabarimala.
The empty trailer lorry, which came in the opposite direction and was proceeding towards Madurai, collided head-on with the van.
Five devotees died on the spot, while five others succumbed to injuries on the way to the Government Hospital at Tirumayam.
The remaining five have been admitted to the Pudukottai Medical College Hospital.
The van was completely damaged in the collision. The driver of the lorry fled the spot. The bodies of the victims were taken to the Government Hospital at Tirumayam for post-mortem.
Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar, Pudukottai Collector S. Ganesh and Superintendent of Police S. Selvaraj inspected the accident spot. Mr. Vijaya Baskar visited the hospital where the injured were being treated.
The deceased have been identified as Nagaraj, 35, Mahesh, 28, Kumar, 22, Shyam, 22, Pravin, 24, Krishna, 35, Sai, 22, Suresh, 25 and Anjaneyalu. The police said they were yet to establish the identity of one victim. The victims and the injured were from Medak district in Telangana, the police said.
The Tirumayam police have registered a case. Investigation would be carried out by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ponnamaravathi sub-division, sources said.
