Screengrab from a video of the incident.
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Pudukottai (TN): Five persons, most of them pilgrims, were killed and 19 others injured when a cement-laden lorry hit two vehicles before knocking down a roadside tea shop at Namanasamudram in the district, police said on Saturday.
The deceased have been identified as B Jaganathan (60), S Santhi (55) and R Gokulkrishnan (26) of Tiruvallur district; S Satish (25) of Chennai, who died on the spot; and J Suresh (39) of Tiruvallur district who was declared brought dead at Pudukottai General Hospital.
The accident, which took place in the early hours of the day, caught the devotees who had stopped at the tea stall totally unawares. The driver of the lorry bound for Sivaganga from Ariyalur lost control of the vehicle and hit a car and van before ramming into the tea stall on the Tiruchi-Rameswaram highway, police said.
The devotees from Tiruvallur were on a trip to Omshakthi temple while the van carried Sabarimala pilgrims. Four persons died on the spot while the fifth succumbed on the way to hospital, police said.
Police and Fire Services personnel rushed to Namanasamudram and extricated the bodies. The injured were taken to Pudukottai Government Hospital.
A case has been registered.
Chief Minister M K Stalin conveyed his deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families and announced a solatium of Rs 2 lakh each for the families.
He also announced relief of Rs one lakh each for the grievously injured and Rs 50,000 each for those who sustained minor injuries, according to a release here.