Ten Ayyappa devotees from Telangana died and five others sustained injuries after a lorry rammed the van in which they were travelling at Tirumayam the bypass road in the district on Sunday.
The accident occurred around 2.30 p.m when the group of 15 Ayyappa devotees was on its way back to Telangana from Sabarimala in the van. The empty trailer lorry, which was moving in the opposite direction towards Madurai, collided with the van.
Five devotees died on the spot in the impact of the collision, while five others breathed their last on the way to the Government Hospital at Tirumayam, said the police. The remaining five were admitted to the Pudukottai Medical College Hospital.
The van was completely damaged in the impact of the collision. The driver of the trailer-lorry fled the spot, abandoning the vehicle. The bodies of the victims were taken to the Government Hospital at Tirumayam for postmortem.
Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar, Pudukottai Collector S. Ganesh and Superintendent of Police S. Selvaraj inspected the accident spot later in the day. Mr. Vijaya Baskar also visited the hospital where the injured were being treated.
Police gave the names of the deceased as Nagaraju (35), Mahesh (28), Kumar (22), Shyam (22), Pravin (24), Krishna (35), Sai (22), Suresh (25) and Anjaneyulu, while one victim was yet to be identified. The victims and the injured were from Medak district in Telangana, said the police.
The Tirumayam police registered a case. The investigation into the accident would be carried out by the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Ponnamaravathi sub-division, since the casualty figures exceeded five, said the sources.
Hyderabad Special Correspondent writes:
The ill-fated van with 15 devotees and the driver left Narsapur on January 2 for Sabarimala. They had darshan of Lord Ayyappa in the early hours of Saturday (January 5) and began their return journey in the evening.
CM’s condolences
Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and TRS working president K. T. Rama Rao expressed shock over the loss of lives in the ghastly road accident at Pudukottai.
The Chief Minister conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families and wished the injured speedy recovery. He directed the officials to take steps to provide better medical facilities to all those injured in the accident, according to an official release.
Meanwhile, YSR Congress president Y. S . Jagan Mohan Reddy expressed shock over the accident. He conveyed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families.
