COIMBATORE: Six persons, including a police constable, were killed in a road accident near Vellakovil in Tirupur district during the early hours of Wednesday.
According to police, the accident occurred near the police check post at Kurukkathi along the Tirupur–Karur border. A truck carrying casuarina logs from Cuddalore to Vellakovil rammed into a barricade placed at the checkpoint.
Following the collision, truck driver Senthil (48) stopped the vehicle by the roadside. He, along with constable Ravichandran (36) of the Vellakovil police station, who was on duty at the check post, attempted to reposition the barricade.
At that moment, a speeding car travelling from Mayiladuthurai to Coimbatore crashed into the two men before slamming into the stationary truck.
The impact killed six people on the spot. The deceased were identified as constable Ravichandran, truck driver Senthil, car driver Ram (22) from Alangulam, and three passengers from Mayiladuthurai — Narasimman (65), his wife Santhalakshmi (60), and their son Balaji (36).
Police personnel from the Vellakovil station rushed to the scene and shifted the bodies to the Tirupur Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.
Coimbatore Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) P Saminathan and other senior officials visited the accident site and reviewed the situation. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway.