RAMANATHAPURAM: Three persons were killed and four others were injured in an accident involving three vehicles along the Madurai-Dhanushkodi National Highway near Kunjarvalasai on Sunday. According to sources, a scooter collided head-on with a car, which then crashed into an oncoming van. Two passengers of the car — Felsia (30) from Sattur and her mother-in-law Sumathi (50) — and the man riding the two-wheeler were killed, with the identity of the latter yet to be ascertained. Felsia’s husband Tamilmani (34) — a cinematographer from Tiruppur — who was the driver of the car, and their two young daughters were among the four persons injured in the accident, and they have been admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Ramnad.
According to the police, a group of more than 10 relatives from Tiruppur and Sattur had travelled to Rameswaram the previous night in two vehicles, including the car. On Sunday, they performed rituals for a deceased relative at the Agni Theertham seashore and offered prayers at the temple. During their return journey, near Kunjarvalasai, a scooter ridden by a man from the opposite direction suddenly swerved to the right and onto the path of the car, resulting in a violent head-on collision. The car then crashed into an oncoming van, police said.
While Sumathi and the two-wheeler rider were killed on the spot, Felsia, who was in the co-driver seat, was trapped inside the vehicle. Sources said the locals used a crowbar to pry open the mangled remains of the vehicle and retrieved the body of Felsia after a long struggle. Mandapam police have registered a case.