Four people died and three were injured in Pudukkottai on Saturday after two cars collided with a load van on the Pudukkottai-Karaikudi national highway.
Senthamizh Selvan, 65, a retired SBI employee from Cauvery Nagar in Thanjavur, was driving with his wife Aruna, 62, their daughter-in-law Ramya, 40, and her children Kuzhalini, 10, and Magizhini, 4. They were traveling to Madurai for a temple visit. Relatives, including Senthamizh Selvan’s son Arun Kumar, were in a separate car.
At approximately 10 a.m., near Namanasamudram, Selvan’s car collided head-on with a load van heading from Karaikudi to Pudukkottai. The impact caused the load van to overturn, and a second car following the van then struck the overturned vehicle.
Senthamizh Selvan, his wife Aruna, and the load van cleaner Sudhakar, 45, died at the scene. Ramya, Kuzhalini, Magizhini, and the van driver Moorthi sustained serious injuries. Fortunately, the occupants of the other car following the load van were unharmed.
Witnesses immediately rushed to the scene to begin rescue efforts and alerted the Namanasamudram police. The police arrived promptly, recovered the bodies, and assisted the injured. The injured were transported to the Pudukkottai Medical College Hospital, where Ramya later succumbed to her injuries.
Fire and rescue personnel also responded to the scene, removing the damaged vehicles. The collision caused a traffic disruption of over an hour on the Pudukkottai-Karaikudi national highway.
