Car rams into truck after driver falls asleep; 6 dead
What's the story
At least six people were killed after a car rammed into a truck loaded with cement bags near Puliangudi in Tamil Nadu's Tenkasi district on Sunday. The accident occurred around 3:30am when the driver of the car allegedly fell asleep while driving. Five of the six people traveling in the car died on the spot, while one died on the way to the hospital.
Incident
Know about deceased perons
The five deceased were identified as Karthik, Vel Manoj, Subramani, Manoharan, and Pothiraj. They were returning home from a weekend trip, according to India Today. All of them were from Puliangudi's Bhagavathy Amman Temple Street area of the Tenkasi district. On Saturday, they went to Puliangudi to participate in the Balasubramanya Swamy Temple Festival before visiting the famous Courtallam waterfalls.
Official speaks
Police version about accident
According to police, the driver of the car probably fell asleep between Punnaiyapuram and Singilipatti near Puliangudi, causing the crash. The car then became caught under the truck and was flung a few feet. Although the police and fire and rescue personnel reached out immediately, they couldn't save the victims. Later, their bodies were sent to Tirunelveli Hospital for an autopsy.
History
Similar accident on Wednesday
This comes just days after at least four people were killed in an accident involving four vehicles in the Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu on Wednesday. Eight other people were injured in the accident that took place on the Bengaluru-Salem National Highway. The entire incident unraveled in a matter of seconds, leaving behind a trail of destruction on the Thoppur Ghat road.