COIMBATORE: A group of tourists from Malaysia travelling in a van were threatened at gunpoint by two unidentified men following an altercation, in Madukkarai near Coimbatore on Wednesday.

The tourists were heading to Chennai through Coimbatore after visiting Alappuzha in Kerala when they had an altercation with two men near a petrol bunk on the Cochin-Salem Bypass Road around evening.

The duo then attacked Loganathan (52) and his son Ugendran (21) with a sickle leaving them injured. “To avoid further escalation of tension, the tourists left the spot hurriedly and were proceeding towards Madukkarai, when the two men followed them in a two-wheeler and displayed a firearm,” said the police.

When the driver attempted to speed away, the van veered towards a pit and got stuck in the slush. As the tourists raised an alarm, the public gathered at the spot and the two persons fled the spot. The two injured tourists were admitted to a private hospital for treatment.

The police are examining CCTV footage in the area to identify the accused and ascertain the exact sequence of events. Further investigation is under way.