SALEM: A couple was killed in the early hours of Monday after a JCB excavator collided with their two-wheeler on the Omalur-Thoppur Road, near Raja Ganapathi Nagar, in Salem district.
The deceased were Murugan (40) and his wife Parvathy (32), residents of Periyakadampatty in Omalur, Salem. According to police, the couple had left their home early in the morning to travel to Dharmapuri to attend a family function.
Preliminary investigation revealed that a JCB being deployed for a flyover construction along the Omalur-Thoppur stretch took a sudden turn, colliding with their two-wheeler near Raja Ganapathi Nagar.
Both Murugan and Parvathy died on the spot. Their bodies were sent to the Omalur Government Hospital for postmortem. The excavator was seized, and its driver arrested. Police said further inquiries are under way to determine the exact cause of the mishap.
Heavy machinery such as excavators and lorries are frequently in operation on the stretch for the flyover work.