Two college students die as SUV hits scooter near Tiruchengode

Namakkal: Two college students died when a sport utility vehicle hit a scooter they were riding on near Tiruchengode in Namakkal district on Wednesday.

The deceased have been identified as P Balaji, 19, of Pasupathipalayam in Karur district and V Tirupathi, 19, of Vengamedu near Tiruchengode. Both were second year BCA students at KSR Arts and Science College in Tiruchengode. Tirupathi was riding the scooter while Balaji was riding pillion on it.

The accident happened when they were returning home after writing their semester exams.

As they approached the Kattupalayam crossroad near Sitthalandur, an SUV, coming from the opposite direction, hit their scooter. "Both students suffered severe head injuries and died on the spot," Tiruchengode rural police inspector T Deepa said.

SUV driver M Ramesh, 38, of Devanagkurichi tried to flee the scene, but passersby caught him and handed him over to the police.

The police recovered the bodies and sent them to the Tiruchengode Government Hospital for postmortem. They registered a case and began investigations.