Thanjavur (Tamil Nadu): In a tragic incident, five devotees, including four women, were killed and another woman sustained critical injuries after a truck ploughed into a group of devotees who were on a ‘padayatra’ at Valambakudi village on the Tiruchirapalli-Thanjavur national highway here on Wednesday.
Police said a group of around 56 devotees, hailing from Kannukkudipatti village in Pudukottai district were on a padayatra to the renowned Arulmigu Mariamman Temple at Samayapuram in Tiruchirapalli, when the tragedy occurred.
Initial investigations revealed that the driver of the truck, who was returning to Karur after offloading rice bags in Thanjavur, dozed off, and the freight vehicle apparently lost control and ploughed into the devotees.
While four devotees, identified as Mohanambal, Meena, Rani, and Muthusamy, died on the spot, another woman, Lakshmi, succumbed to injuries at Thanjavur Government Medical College Hospital.
The condition of one more woman Sangeetha, who sustained grievous injuries in the accident, was stated to be critical.
Sengipatti police have registered a case and arrested truck driver Sundararajan (38).