Seven persons including two children and one woman died on the spot after a car they were travelling collided with a lorry at Pakkiripalayam village near Chengam town in Tiruvannamalai on Sunday morning. The police said that the lorry driver, whose identity is not known yet, fled the spot.
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The victims were identified as R. Sathish Kumar, 40, a software engineer in Bengaluru, his two children S. Sarveshwaran, 6, and S. Sidhu, 3, S. Manikandan, 42, and S. Hemanth ,35, K. Srinivasan, 60, and S. Malar, 58.
The injured person, S. Kaviya , 35, wife of Satish Kumar and sister of Manikandan, had been admitted at the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai town, around 55 km from the accident spot.
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Doctors at the hospital said Kaviya was out of danger. The accident occurred around 8.50 a.m. The police said that Satish Kumar’s drowsiness might be the reason for the accident when he tried to overtake a vehicle ahead on the stretch.
Tiruvannamalai Collector B. Murugesh and SP K. Karthikeyan inspecting the accident spot at Pakkiripalayam village near Chengam town in Tiruvannamalai on Sunday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The police said the family was returning to Bengaluru after visiting several places including Angala Parameswari temple in Melmalayanur village near Gingee in Viluppuram district. Satish Kumar could have lost control of the car and hit the lorry, which was coming in the opposite direction after unloading raw paddy consignment in a godown at Uthangarai village in Krishnagiri, they sadi.
In the impact, the car got mangled and the members in the car died on the spot. Immediately, other motorists and passersby alerted the Chengam police. Along with police, residents removed the bodies and shifted the injured Kaviya to the government hospital in Tiruvannamalai town.
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Tiruvannamalai Collector B. Murugesh, K. Karthikeyan, SP and M. P. Giri, MLA (Chengam), visited the spot. Traffic was hit on the route for more than an hour. A team of traffic police personnel regulated the traffic on the route. A case has been filed by Chengam police. Further investigation is on, the police said.
CM announces solatium
Expressing heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced a solatium of ₹2 lakh to each of the affected families. In his statement, Mr. Stalin also announced ₹1 lakh for the injured woman, who is being treated at the Government Medical College Hospital in Tiruvannamalai town. He also advised doctors at the hospital to provide the best medical care for her. The solatium will be paid through the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund to the families of the deceased and to the injured undergoing treatment, he said in a statement.