CHENNAI: A 32-year-old restaurant manager died after a water tanker hit the motorcycle on which he was riding pillion near Periamet on Thursday.

The deceased was identified as K Lokesh of Karthikeyapuram near Tiruvallur. He was working as a manager at a well-known vegetarian restaurant in Tiruvallur.

On Thursday, a review meeting was held at the restaurant's head office in Nungambakkam. After the meeting, Lokesh was heading to Chennai Central railway station to return to Tiruvallur when the accident happened.

Police said that he rode pillion with his friend, S Karthik (26). While they were moving along Periamet towards Chennai Central, a water tanker coming from behind hit their bike.

Both Lokesh and Karthik fell from the motorcycle. Locals rescued the injured duo and rushed them to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where Lokesh was declared dead on arrival.

Periamet Traffic Investigation Wing (TIW) police registered a case and arrested the tanker driver, R Senthilkumar (42) of Mettur, Salem district. Further investigation is under way.