Six persons, including three from Kerala and two women, were killed and 19 others injured in two different road accidents in the district on Wednesday.
Police said three men from Malapuram district in Kerala were crushed to death when the van in which they were travelling to Rameswaram, rammed into a stationary lorry at Ariyaman beach bus stop near Uchipulli.
The victims and eight others, all men, working as plumbers, were on a pleasure trip to Rameswaram in a Tempo Traveller when the mishap occurred. The van suffered extensive damage as it rammed into the lorry laden with centring materials, which were protruding.
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The police identified the victims as Riaz (24), Saleem (28) and Sabir (24). The lorry driver was arrested and remanded in judicial custody, the police said.
Two of the seriously injured were admitted to the Government Rajaji Hospital (GRH) in Madurai while seven others, including the driver were admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital here, they adedd.
In another accident, three members of a family, including two women, were killed and eight others injured when the the SUV, in which they were travelling, capsized at Nainarkoil near here on Wednesday evening, the police said.
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They said 12 persons were returning home after offering worship at a temple dedicated to their family deity at Erpanayur on the occasion of Mahasivaratri.
The van plunged into a dry channel on the roadside after the driver lost control, the police said. The victims were identified as T. Priyadharshini (38), D. Anusuya (60) and K. Kesavan (55).