VILLUPURAM: Four men died after their car plunged into a roadside agricultural well after its tyre burst near Gingee in Villupuram on Tuesday morning.
The deceased were identified as Vinoth (40), an advocate from Kundrathur near Chennai, and his friends Raja, Sekar and Jayavel, all residents of the same locality. According to the police, the four had travelled to Tiruvannamalai to participate in the girivalam held on the full moon day of the Tamil month of Maasi at the Arunachaleswarar temple. They were returning to Chennai when the accident occurred around 8.30 am on Tuesday.
When the car was proceeding along the Puducherry-Krishnagiri National Highway, near Alampoondi, a tyre burst allegedly caused the driver to lose control. The vehicle veered off the road and fell into a nearby agricultural well full of water.
After passersby alerted the police, personnel from the Gingee Fire and Rescue Services and officers from the Sathyamangalam police station rushed to the spot. Two 108 ambulances were also pressed into service. After nearly two hours of rescue operations, the car was retrieved from the well using a crane.
Vinoth, Raja, and Sekar were found dead inside the vehicle. The police later recovered Jayavel’s body. The bodies were shifted to the government hospital in Gingee for post-mortem examination.
Gingee Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramesh Raj and Motor Vehicle Inspector Krishnan conducted inquiries at the accident site.