Four of family killed in head-on collision near Pollachi

Coimbatore: Four of a family died after a truck collided head on with their multi-purpose vehicel (MPV) on the Pollachi-Palladam Main Road on Monday afternoon.Police said the accident took place when they were travelling in the MPV from Pollachi toward Palladam. "A lorry which was coming from the opposite direction, lost control, veered off its path and collided head-on with the MPV," said a police officer from Negamam station. The deceased were identified as K Dhanapal, 37, his wife D Menaga, 35, their daughter D Kaniska, 17, and a relative, Sneha, 23, all from Kadayampatty in Salem district. Dhanapal, Menaga and Sneha sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene, while Kaniska was declared dead at the Pollachi Govt Hospital. The couple's 12-year-old son, Surjith, was the sole survivor of the crash. He had suffered multiple injuries and was given emergency first aid at Pollachi before being rushed to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for advanced specialist treatment. Meanwhile, police secured the truck driver, Saravanan, and registered a case. The arrested has been identified as M Saravanan, 39, from Krishnagiri district. He was reportedly driving in a rash and negligent manner, resulting in the accident. The bodies of the four deceased have been moved to the Pollachi Govt Headquarters Hospital for postmortem. Deputy superintendent of police, Pollachi, visited the site to oversee the initial enquiry, even as further investigation is on.