Coimbatore: Two men were killed and seven others injured in a head-on collision between a SUV and a water tanker near Annur on Saturday.The deceased were identified as P Kathiresan, 45, a resident of Pappampatti near Sulur, and his neighbour Velmurugan, 40. Kathiresan was the local branch secretary of DMK. The accident occurred when Kathiresan and his family, along with the family of his neighbour Velmurugan, were returning to Sulur in an SUV after visiting the Bannari Amman Temple. When the SUV was on Sathy Road, a speeding water tanker coming from the opposite direction crashed into it. In the impact of the collision, Kathiresan died on the spot. Velmurugan later succumbed to his injuries at a private hospital in Annur. Kathiresan’s wife Kavitha, daughter Larani, and six others — Geetha, Thrisha, Velmurugan, Sowmiya, Hariharan, and Moorthy — suffered injuries and shifted to a private hospital in Annur for treatment. The Annur police have registered a case. Police have launched a manhunt for the driver of the tanker.

