CHENNAI: Three lawyers were killed after the car they were travelling in fell into a roadside well near Gingee in Villupuram district in the early hours of Tuesday.

According to a Daily Thanthi report, police said four advocates were returning to Chennai after completing girivalam (pilgrimage walk) in Tiruvannamalai when the driver allegedly lost control of the vehicle. The car veered off the road and plunged into a nearby well.

Three of the occupants died on the spot. It is suspected that the driver may have dozed off at the wheel, leading to the accident.

Fire and rescue personnel rushed to the scene on receiving information from bystanders and retrieved the bodies, which were sent to a government hospital for post-mortem. Police said search operations are under way to trace the fourth person who is believed to be missing. Further investigation is in progress.