Three dead after autorickshaw rams into truck near Periyapalayam

CHENNAI: Three persons from the same family were killed and three others sustained grievous injuries after the autorickshaw they were travelling in rammed into a truck near Periyapalayam in Thiruvallur district on Sunday (August 30) morning.

The deceased were identified as Radha, 65, her daughter Poongodi, 39, and her grandsons Gokul, 11, and Dhanalakshmi, 10. The injured included autorickshaw driver Lokanathan, 42, Poongodi’s relative Prashanth, 15, and another passenger.

According to police, Lokanathan, a resident of Kodungaiyur in Chennai, was driving the autorickshaw carrying his wife Poongodi, their 10-year-old daughter Dhanalakshmi, his mother-in-law Radha and relatives Gokul and Prashanth. They were travelling to the Arulmigu Bhavani Amman Temple in Periyapalayam on Friday night.

When the autorickshaw was near the MTC Nagar bus stop at Panapakkam village on the Chennai-Periyapalayam highway, it collided with an unidentified lorry travelling ahead.

The passengers suffered severe injuries in the accident. Police personnel from Periyapalayam police station rushed to the spot and rescued five people who were injured. They were taken by 108 ambulance to the Periyapalayam government primary health centre.

Radha died at the scene. Gokul, a Class 6 student, and Poongodi died while undergoing treatment at the health centre.

The injured were given first aid and later shifted to Tiruvallur Government Hospital for further treatment. Dhanalakshmi, a Class 5 student, later died while undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Police sent the bodies of the four deceased for post-mortem examination at Tiruvallur Government Hospital.

A case has been registered and police are searching for the unidentified vehicle involved in the accident.