RANIPET: A 60-year-old man and two of his grandchildren were killed after a goods vehicle carrying ice cream rammed the scooter they were travelling on near Kaveripakkam in Ranipet district on Friday morning.
The deceased were identified as Velu (60), of Ocheri near Kaveripakkam, his granddaughter Gunasree (7), and his grandson Aswanth (7). Another grandson, Ajay (9), sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit at the Government Hospital in Walajah.
According to police, Velu was taking his three grandchildren to their private school in Kaveripakkam on his scooter when the accident occurred on the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway.
Police said an ice cream-laden goods van travelling from Chennai towards Vellore allegedly hit the scooter from behind near Kaveripakkam, throwing all four occupants onto the road.
Gunasree died on the spot, while Velu and Aswanth succumbed to their injuries while being taken to hospital. Ajay was admitted for treatment.
Velu, a tailor, is survived by his son Dhandapani, who runs a photo studio in Ocheri, and daughter Nirmala. Ajay and Gunasree are Dhandapani's children, while Aswanth is the son of Nirmala and her husband Thirunavukkarasu, an employee of a private company.
Following information from residents, Kaveripakkam police rushed to the spot and shifted the injured to the hospital. The bodies of the deceased were sent for post-mortem examination.
Police have detained the van driver, Jeyasurya (28), from Polur in Tiruvannamalai district, for inquiry and seized the vehicle. A case has been registered, and further investigation is under way.