TUTICORIN: Four of a family were killed after their car crashed into a stationary truck near Ettayapuram in Tuticorin district on Monday.The deceased were identified as Bhaskaran, 41, Vanitha, 40, Vasanthi, 39, and Palani, 51, who was driving the car. Three others — Premkumar, 41, Sandhiya, 12, and Pradeep Kumar, 10 — suffered serious injuries and are under treatment at the Tuticorin Government Medical College Hospital.According to police sources, the group of seven had left Chennai on Saturday to attend a function in Trichy on Sunday. Following the event, they travelled to Tiruchendur to offer prayers at the Subramanya Swamy temple.The accident occurred on the Tuticorin-Madurai National Highway while they were returning to Chennai.As the car reached the M Kottur junction near Ettayapuram, it reportedly veered off the lane and rammed into the rear of a truck parked on the roadside. In the impact, the front portion of the car was completely mangled, trapping the occupants inside.Locals alerted police, who rushed to the scene and retrieved the bodies from the wreckage. The deceased were shifted to the Ettayapuram govt hospital for autopsy.A case has been registered by the Ettayapuram police. Further investigation was under way to determine the cause of the mishap.
