COIMBATORE: Six members of a family, including two children, died on the spot and a woman suffered serious injuries after their car collided head-on with a diesel tanker truck near Uthukuli in Tirupur district on Friday afternoon. The deceased have been identified as S Easwaran, 55, of Saminathapuram in Salem, his wife Thirumagal, 50, his son-in-law M Mugilan, 35, who was a college faculty member, Mugilan’s three-year-old son Srinith, his nine-month-old son Kanish, and Easwaran’s relative J Sivagami, 65. Mugilan’s wife Hema, 31, who sustained severe head injuries, was battling for life in the Tirupur Medical College Hospital, police said. According to police, Easwaran and others had gone to Palladam to attend the 30th day ritual of a deceased relative. The accident happened when they were returning to Salem via Uthukuli. Easwaran was driving the car. When the car reached near Kakkapallam close to Uthukuli, a diesel tanker truck, which was coming from the opposite direction, collided head-on with their car. The car was crushed completely, killing six occupants on the spot. After the accident, the tanker truck driver allegedly abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene. On receiving information, the Uthukuli police rushed to the spot, recovered the bodies and sent them to Tirupur Govt Medical College Hospital for postmortem. Police have registered a case and launched a search for the absconding truck driver.
