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10 Sabarimala pilgrims killed in Tamil Nadu road accident
The accident took place when the van carrying the pilgrims, all hailing from Telangana, collided with a truck in Tamil Nadu Pudukottai.
At least 10 Ayappa devotees from Telangana were killed in a road accident in Tamil Nadu’s Pudukottai on Sunday as they were returning from Kerala’s Sabarimala temple.
The accident took place around 3.40 pm when the pilgrims’ van collided with a container truck on the Karaikudi–Pudukottai road near Thirumayam when the devotees were returning home after completing their rituals at Sabarimala and Rameswaram temples, police said.
“A total of 15 devotees were travelled in the tempo traveller van. After visiting Sabarimala, they went to Rameswaram and were on their way back to Telangana. However, when they were on the Karaikkudi -Pudukottai road, a speeding container lorry, coming from the opposite direction, hit their vehicle,” said an officer of the Thirumayam police station.
While seven devotees died on spot, three succumbed while they were taken to Pudukottai government medical college hospital.
“Since the speeding container lorry came in a wrong direction, it caused the accident. Its driver escaped from the spot. We have registered a case and launched the search operation to nab the driver,” said the police officer.
The deceased were identified as Nagaraju (35), Mahesh (28), Kumar (22), Shyam (22), Praveen (22), Suresh (25), Krishna (35), Sai (22) , Anjaneyulu (25), all of Shalipet village in Telangana’s Medak district. Their driver was however yet to be identified.
Four others were injured.
Tamil Nadu health minister C Vijaya Bhaskar, who was at a function in Pudukottai, rushed the accident spot and directed the officials to save the lives of injured people.
“We have informed the Medak district collector. The government will take appropriate steps to send back the bodies to their native place,” he told the media.
