Three people were killed instantly and two others injured when a car collided with a roadblock and a lorry before bursting into flames on National Highway 36 (NH-36) near Vikravandi in Viluppuram district.
The deceased have been identified as Shamsudeen and Rishi Mohan, both travelling from Kolathur, Chennai, en route to Kerala. They died on the spot in the blaze. The injured, Abdul Aziz and Deepak, were rushed to Villupuram Government Hospital and are undergoing treatment.
Police officials say that preliminary investigations suggest the accident occurred due to the driver dozing off behind the wheel. Traffic was severely affected in the area for over an hour before authorities cleared the wreckage and restored normal flow.
A formal case has been registered, and further probe is underway to ascertain the sequence of events leading to the tragic crash.
