Three Killed, Five Injured in Car Crash Near Chengapalli on Salem-Coimbatore Highway

Three travellers from Tiruttani were killed and five others sustained injuries on Saturday after their car crashed into a stationary gas tanker lorry on the Salem-Coimbatore national highway near Chengapalli in Tiruppur.

The deceased individuals have been identified by the police as 30-year-old Vijay, his 26-year-old wife Thenmozhi, and 36-year-old Kumar.

According to the local police, the victims were part of an eight-member group that was travelling from Tiruttani to the hill station of Ooty when the fatal mishap occurred. The group of eight occupants inside the car was split evenly, consisting of four men and four women.

The accident took place when the driver of the car attempted to overtake a tanker lorry on the busy highway. The overtaking manoeuvre went fatally wrong, resulting in the car ramming directly into the stationary gas tanker lorry.

Two men among the occupants died on the spot due to the severe impact of the collision. Following the crash, local highway commuters and emergency ambulance personnel rushed to the accident site. They worked quickly to rescue the injured passengers who were trapped inside the crushed vehicle.

The critically injured passengers were immediately rushed to the Uthukuli government hospital. Among them, Thenmozhi passed away at the hospital facility before any medical treatment could begin.

Of the remaining five survivors of the crash, two are currently in critical condition and are receiving treatment at the government hospital. The other three injured passengers are undergoing medical treatment at a private hospital in Tirupur.

The bodies of the three deceased victims have been moved to the Perundurai government hospital, where post-mortem examinations will be conducted.

The Uthukuli police have registered a case regarding the fatal accident and are currently investigating the sequence of events that led to the crash.