SALEM: Two minor brothers were killed in a tragic road accident near Sankagiri on Saturday night while travelling to a temple in Salem in connection with Thai Poosam celebrations. The accident occurred in the presence of their parents.
The deceased children — Lingeswaran (13) Navaneshwaran (11) — were the sons of Karthikeyan (44) and Jothi (30) of Komarapalayam in Namakkal. The family, along with their neighbour Thamaraiselvan (25), were travelling towards Salem on two two-wheelers. While Thamaraiselvan was riding one motorcycle with the two boys as pillion riders, Karthikeyan and Jothi were following on another two-wheeler.
Near the Chinnakkavundanur bypass close to Sankagiri, an unidentified lorry allegedly rammed the two-wheeler ridden by Thamaraiselvan from behind.Due to the impact, the two children were thrown off the vehicle and sustained fatal injuries.
Thamaraiselvan survived the accident with minor injuries. On witnessing the accident, Karthikeyan and Jothi, who were travelling on the other two-wheeler, lost control and fell on the road, sustaining minor injuries. Passersby rushed to their aid and alerted the police. A search has been launched to trace the unidentified lorry involved in the hit-and-run incident.