3 College Students Killed, 4 Injured as Car Overturns Near Maduranthakam

Three college students from a private university in Pallavaram died and four others sustained injuries after their car overturned near Maduranthakam on the Chennai-Tiruchy National Highway in the early hours of Saturday.

The group of seven students was travelling back to Chennai from Puducherry when the vehicle suffered a punctured rear tyre. Harikrishnan, 19, who was driving the car, lost control of the vehicle. The car swerved across the road, overturned, and collided with the central median.

Two students suffered fatal head injuries and died at the scene. They were identified as Deepakraj, 19, a third-year arts student from Vadalur in Cuddalore district, and Beautrin Stalinijo, 22, a final-year law student from Kanniyakumari.

The injured occupants were transported to the Chengalpet Government Hospital for emergency medical treatment. Raj Prasad, 19, a third-year BCom student from Pasupathipalaiyam in Karur, was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.

The four other injured students undergoing care were identified as Logeswaran, 18, of Karur; Ram Prasad, 19, of Pasupathipalaiyam; Anishwaran, 18, of Cuddalore; and the driver, Harikrishnan, 19, of Chennai.

The Maduranthakam police registered a case in connection with the incident under Sections 281 (negligent driving), 125(a) (acts endangering personal safety), and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Police officials sent the bodies of the deceased for postmortem examinations. The accident briefly disrupted vehicular movement along the highway before normalcy was restored.