2 brothers from Chennai charred to death as car hits tanker lorry

Two persons were charred to death while two others were injured after a car hit a tanker lorry at Padalur near Perambalur on Thursday.

Sources said that Kumar (48), a private firm employee from Hasthinapuram in Chennai along with his daughter Dhanyashri (14) and brother Venkatavardhan (45) had hired a taxi to travel to their hometown Kolathur in Tiruchy.

Viswanath (27) from Chennai was driving the car. They started their journey from Chennai around 10 pm on Wednesday. When they reached Padalur on Tiruchy-Chennai National Highway around 4 am on Thursday, the driver of a tanker lorry, which was halted on the roadside, suddenly moved the vehicle and tried to enter the highway without noticing the traffic movement on his side of the lane.

By that time, Viswanath, who could not control the car, rammed into the tanker lorry that caught fire in the collision and the fire also spread to the car. The inmates of the car screamed for help. On hearing the noise, those in the vicinity rushed to the spot and broke open the car that was in flames. They also rescued the car driver Viswanath and Dhanyashri, who are battling for life. However, in the meantime, fire destroyed the whole car and both Kumar and his brother Venkatavardhan were charred to death. On information, a police team, led by DSP Sanjeev Kumar, rushed to the spot and sent the bodies to the Perambalur Government Hospital. The injured have been admitted to the GH. Later, the Padalur police arrested Kumar (39), the lorry driver from Chengalpattu.