COIMBATORE: Three persons died and three injured after a sugarcane laden lorry fell on their omni van on the Dhimbam ghat road in Erode on Tuesday.
Police identified the deceased as Kumar, 60 from Nambiyur, Chennaiyan, 55 from Kasipalayam and Selvaraj, 55 from Kenjanayakkanur, while the injured, Soundaraj, 60 from Kondamuthur, Selvam, 63 from Moolakinaru and Manohar, 59 from Erode were admitted to hospital.
Police said the lorry laden with sugarcane was bound for a private sugarcane mill in Talavadi in Sathyamangalam, when its driver lost control at a turn on the 27th hairpin bend on the ghat road.
The lorry fell on the omni van proceeding towards Nanjangud in Mysuru district. In the impact of the mishap, three persons inside the van were crushed to death, while three others were rescued with severe injuries after two hours and sent to Sathyamangalam Government Hospital.
the trio was sent to Government Erode Medical College and Hospital in Perundurai. The bodies of the deceased were sent to Sathyamangalam Government Hospital for post-mortem.
The Hasanur police and rescue personnel removed the vehicles and a search is on for the driver, who fled the spot. The mishap led to traffic snarls on the ghat road.