CHENNAI: A car rammed into two brothers standing next to their two-wheeler along the side of the Tiruchy-Chennai National Highway near Chengalpattu on Sunday evening. The brothers were talking on the phone when the incident happened.

The deceased were identified as Prithviraj (30) and Kaviyarasan (26) from Thozhupedu near Madurantakam in Chengalpattu district. Police said the brothers were staying in Chennai and working in construction and electrical jobs. Every weekend, they would travel to their hometown on a two-wheeler and return to Chennai on Sunday night.

Police said the brothers had visited their hometown on Saturday and were returning to Chennai on Sunday evening. While travelling on the Tiruchy-Chennai National Highway, they had stopped near the Paranur flyover in Chengalpattu and were standing by the roadside talking on a mobile phone. At that time, a car lost control and crashed into the brothers, throwing them several feet away. Both suffered severe injuries and died immediately on impact.

On information, the Chengalpattu Taluk police rushed to the spot, recovered the bodies, and sent them to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital for postmortem examination. Police also seized the car involved in the accident and arrested the driver, Anand Meenattoor (38) from Kerala. The police have registered a case, and further investigations are under way.