TIRUCHY: Four purohits (vedic scholars) who were returning after performing a homam were crushed to death in Ariyalur on Tuesday evening.

It is said, a group of four purohits from Thanjavur who were identified as G Easwaran (24) and B Puvanesh Krishnaswamy (19) and D Selva (17) all from Mela Veedhi Thanjavur and V Shanmugam (23) from Karanthai in Thanjavur went to Ariyalur to perform a homam.

After the ritual, they were returning to Thanjavur at around 4.30 pm by car. When they were reaching Ariyalur- Elakurichi branch road, the person who was driving the car lost his control and rammed into a stationary lorry in which all the occupants in the car were crushed to death.

On seeing this, the public rushed to the spot and pulled out the car that was jammed into the lorry and the people were trying to retrieve the bodies. By the time, T-Pazhur police rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies and sent them to the Ariyalur medical college hospital.

The information has been shared to the family members of the deceased and the bodies would be handed over to them after post mortem.

Meanwhile, a case has been registered against the lorry driver who had reportedly parked the vehicle carelessly. Further investigations are on.