Car collides with container truck in Namakkal, 5 women dead in Tamil Nadu

Five people, all women, were crushed to death when the car they were traveling in rammed into a truck near Paramathivellur in Tamil Nadu's Namakkal district in the wee hours of Tuesday.

Police said seven people, including five women and a four-year-old child, were returning to their village near Tiruchengode after attending a temple festival at Manapparai in Karur district.

Ravi (45), who was driving the car, lost control on the Salem-Madurai state highway, leading to the vehicle crashing into a truck parked on the side of the road near the Padamudipalayam bus stand. While five women identified as R Kavitha, 40 (Ravi's wife) and relatives M Mahalakshmi (36), P Santhi (40), Mani alias Kandayee (60) and Kunjammal (65) died on the spot, Ravi and a child named Lakshana survived with injuries . They are currently being treated in the ICU at Namakkal Government Hospital. Their health is stable.

Rescuers had to cut through the vehicle to retrieve the bodies, a police official said.

Traffic in the area was affected for about two hours due to the traffic accident. The Paramathivellur police have registered a case and are investigating.