CHENNAI: Seven people died in road accidents on Wednesday morning, including five in the revelry after New Year celebrations, in Chennai and its suburbs, traffic police said.
According to cops, the first death was recorded in Neelankarai on the East Coast Road (ECR) in south Chennai. Hotel management student L Charukesh (19) died after his two-wheeler crashed into a stationary truck parked on the side of the road in the locality. While he died on the spot, his friend Sanjay (19) from Saligrammam, who was riding pillion, was admitted to a hospital with serious injuries.
At Chetpet, Deepak (22), a native of Nepal, died in a road accident in the morning. Similarly, J Nitish (18), a resident of Nookampalayam, died in a road accident at Perumbakkam after he drove his bike over a pothole. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to injuries.
In another incident, on OMR near Egattur, an unidentified person was found dead with his head crushed and a bike lying beside him. He was rushed to the Chromepet Government Hospital, but was declared dead on arrival. Another senior citizen died in an accident caused by a two-wheeler in Guduvancherry limits, traffic police said.
After sunrise on Wednesday, Suchitra came under the wheels of a truck in front of her husband Shanmuga Sundaram and died, police said.
Despite strict controls, multiple videos of youngsters performing bike stunts on important roads like ECR were shared on social media. The riders were penalised by identifying the vehicle details available in the video. Additionally, around 242 two-wheelers involved in bike racing early on Wednesday were seized. They were returned to the owners after payment of fines.