MADURAI: Five persons, including three women, from a family were killed after their car rammed into a crash barrier at Ayyapatti bridge near Kottampatti in Madurai on Sunday evening.
The deceased were identified as R Venkadesh (62) of Choolaimedu in Chennai, his mother S Vasantha (90), his wife V Asha (58), her mother R Sulakshana (72) and B Prakash (76), a relative, all hailing from Anna Nagar in Madurai.
According to Kottampatti police, the incident occurred around 5 pm, when the victims were on their way back to Madurai in an SUV after offering prayers at Samayapuram Mariamman temple in Tiruchy. As they were passing through Ayyapatti bridge, the car, driven by Venkadesh, lost control and crashed against the barrier.
In the impact, all five occupants sustained severe injuries and died on the spot. Upon information, Kottampatti police rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies with the help of fire and rescue service personnel. The bodies have been shifted to the Government Rajaji Hospital for post-mortem examination.
After inspecting the spot, Superintendent of Police (Madurai) BK Arvind said that as per preliminary investigation, the accident seems to have taken place due to negligence of the driver. He might have fallen asleep, however, the exact reason could not be ascertained as all the five occupants are dead, he said. “Inquiry is on to check why the airbags of the car did not open during the collision,” he added. The Kottampatti police have registered a case and further investigation is under way.