Three labourers were killed and two others, including the driver of a pick-up truck, were seriously injured in an accident at Naravakkam near Kottakuppam on the East Coast Road in Villupuram district on Tuesday evening.
The deceased were identified as Shahjahan, 50, Arumugam, 47, and Baskar, 35, of Kottakuppam.
The police said the vehicle carrying iron rods and other goods was bound for Chennai from Kottakuppam. When the vehicle neared Naravakkam, the driver Ravikumar lost control after one of the tyres burst. In the impact, the vehicle overturned on the road killing Shahjahan, Arumugam, and Baskar on the spot. The trio was travelling in the rear of the vehicle.
The driver Ravikumar and another person Kumar, also from Kottakuppam who were travelling in the front cabin sustained serious injuries. The bodies of the victims were shifted to the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (Jipmer) for post-mortem while the injured were admitted to Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
