CHENNAI: Six people, including a 15-year-old boy, were killed and two others injured in two separate road accidents in Kancheepuram and Chengalpattu districts between Thursday (July 23) night and Friday (July 24) morning.
In the first accident, three employees of a private company lost their lives after the car they were travelling in crossed the median and collided head-on with an Eicher lorry near Keelambi on the Chennai-Bengaluru National Highway in Kancheepuram district on Friday morning.
Police said five people, including the driver, were travelling in the car. Kalaiselvi K (39), Selvaganapathi M (28), C Jayavel Nagraj (28) and Kamaraj N (30), employees of a Hosur-based firm, were on their way to Chennai to attend a corporate meeting.
The vehicle was driven by M Manohar (39).
According to the preliminary investigation, Manohar is suspected to have dozed off while driving, causing the car to climb the central median and enter the opposite carriageway, where it collided with an oncoming Eicher lorry travelling towards Vellore.
Kalaiselvi and Selvaganapathi died on the spot, while Manohar succumbed to his injuries at Saveetha Hospital. Jayavel Nagraj and Kamaraj, who sustained injuries, are undergoing treatment at the Kancheepuram Government Hospital.
In the second accident, three persons, including a teenager, were killed after a lorry allegedly rammed into their car from behind near Janakipuram on the Trichy-Chennai National Highway in Chengalpattu district around 10 pm on Thursday.
The victims were identified as Gopu V (46) of Shanmugapuram in Puducherry, his son L Dhanesh (15), and P Ilanchezhiyan (54), who was driving the car. Police said they were travelling to Chennai airport to receive a relative arriving from abroad.
Investigators said the lorry allegedly struck the car while attempting to overtake it. The impact forced the car into the median, causing it to overturn. The lorry driver fled the scene before police arrived.
Gopu and Dhanesh died on the spot, while Ilanchezhiyan died on the way to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital in a 108 ambulance.
The bodies were sent for post-mortem examinations. Police have launched a search for the absconding lorry driver and are examining CCTV footage from the highway to identify the vehicle. Traffic on the Trichy-Chennai National Highway was affected for some time after the crash.
Separate cases have been registered in both incidents under Sections 281 (rash driving) and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is under way.