2 killed as tree falls on tanker in Krishnagiri

COIMBATORE: Two persons were crushed to death after a huge tree fell on a moving tanker in Krishnagiri on Wednesday.

Police said Marappa, 48, the vehicle driver and Venkatesh, 35, cleaner; both from PR Palayam in Hosur were bound to Hosur from Idayanallur in the tanker, when the incident happened.

“They were going through Mathigiri Road, when a huge tree fell on the front portion of the moving vehicle. In the impact of the fall, both Marappa, who was in the driver’s seat and Venkatesh, who was sitting beside him were crushed to death on the spot,” police said.

On receiving information, the Mathigiri police along with fire and rescue personnel rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies of the deceased persons after chopping away the fallen tree branches. Their bodies were sent for a post-mortem to Hosur Government Hospital.

Police said Marappa is survived by his wife and two sons, while Venkatesh is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son. Vehicle movement was disrupted on the stretch for a while due to the incident.

Villagers claimed that they had petitioned the district administration authorities about the tree which was weak at base and the callousness of authorities led to the incident.