COIMBATORE: Three members of a family were killed and four others seriously injured when two cars collided on the Salem-Karur highway near Namakkal in the early hours of Wednesday.

The deceased were identified as Selvaraj (60) of Bengaluru, his wife, Gandhimathi (55) and their son, Karthik Kumar (35). The family was travelling to Molayandipatti village in Aravakurichi taluk in Karur to attend a wedding when the accident occurred.

According to the police, the family had left Bengaluru around 12.30 am, with Karthik Kumar driving the car. His wife, Kavyashree (34), who is seven months pregnant, had stayed back at home.

The accident occurred around 4.30 am near Nallipalayam in Namakkal when a car approaching from the opposite direction lost control, crossed the centre median and crashed into the car driven by Karthik Kumar. The impact was severe, leaving the front portions of both vehicles badly mangled. The family was trapped inside the car and died on impact.

Four occupants of the other car sustained serious injuries. They were identified as Sivakumar (32), his wife Gauthami (30), A Krishnagowda (19) and their relative Yadhunathan (19), all from Ramanagara in Karnataka. Police said they were returning to Bengaluru after visiting a temple in Thoothukudi district.

Police from the Nallipalayam station rushed to the scene after being alerted and rescued the injured. They were taken to the Namakkal Government Hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Bengaluru for further treatment.

The bodies of the three victims were recovered from the wreckage and sent to the Namakkal Government Hospital for post-mortem. Police removed the damaged vehicles from the highway. Traffic on the busy Salem-Karur stretch was disrupted for some time following the accident. The Nallipalayam police have registered a case and further investigations are under way.