Chennai, Jan 31 (IANS) Five people, including four devotees on a pilgrimage, were killed and three others sustained injuries in two separate road accidents reported from Siruvachur and Mangalamedu in Perambalur district over the weekend.

In the first incident, a group of devotees walking towards the Samayapuram temple were run over by a car near the Siruvachur bridge in the early hours of Saturday.

Police said more than 10 devotees from Cuddalore and Salem districts had set out on foot as part of a religious pilgrimage. As they were nearing the Siruvachur bridge, a car travelling from Chennai to Tiruchy allegedly rammed into the group from behind.

Three women — S. Malarkodi (35) and B. Vijayalakshmi of Tholar Kudikadu village in Cuddalore district, and M. Chitra (40) of Gangavalli in Salem district — died on the spot.

Three others, identified as P. Jothilakshmi (57), M. Tamilarasi (42), and S. Vijayalakshmi (43), all from Tholar Kudikadu, sustained severe injuries and were rushed to the Perambalur Government Hospital for treatment.

Another devotee, T. Sasikala (47), also from Tholar Kudikadu, who was critically injured in the accident, later succumbed to her injuries, taking the death toll in the incident to four.

The bodies of the deceased were sent to the Perambalur Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Police registered a case and arrested the car driver, S. Gowtham (24) of Tirusulam in Chennai.

Further investigation into the incident is underway.

A devotee who was present at the spot told reporters that the group had been walking cautiously along the road in the early morning hours when the accident occurred.

“The car came out of nowhere and hit us. Everything happened so fast. It felt unreal, like a scene from a movie,” the devotee said.

In a separate accident reported on Friday night, S. Navshad Ali (22) of V. Kalathur in Perambalur district was killed while returning home on his two-wheeler from the Thirumandurai toll plaza.

Police said the accident occurred near Thirumandurai on the Chennai–Tiruchy National Highway, where he allegedly collided with a lorry carrying wood that was travelling ahead of him.

Mangalamedu police rushed to the spot soon after receiving information, recovered Navshad Ali’s body, and sent it to the Perambalur Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.

A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.

–IANS

aal/rad