7 die in accidents across south dists

Police said, “Three contract labourers sleeping on the Vaigai riverbed were crushed to death when a concrete mixing vehicle ran over them at Alwarpuram locality in Madurai city early this morning.” The deceased were identified as K Venkatesan (27), S Periyasamy (34), both hailing from Salem district and Babu (37), a native of Chennai. The workers involved in road-widening work along the Vaigai North Bank Road as part of the ongoing Smart City programme, were sleeping on the Vaigai riverbed, when the tragedy occurred.

The driver of the multi-axle heavy concrete mixing vehicle attempting to take a reverse, allegedly failed to notice the labourers sleeping on the riverbed and ran over them. In another accident, two motorists were killed, when a lorry knocked down a two-wheeler on which they were riding on the Tiruchuli-Parthibanoor road near Pallimadam in Virudhunagar district on Thursday. The dead were identified as Palani (20) and Backiyam (38). In the third incident, K Mala (31), riding pillion in husband’s bike with 9-month-old boy K Vellachamy, were fatally run over by an STC bus, after they fell off the vehicle at Shanmugapuram area near Ottapidaram in Thoothukudi.