Six people were killed and four others injured when a speeding Audi car hit went out of control, and hit at least two bystander, and an autorickshaw that was parked on the side of the road in Sundarapuram near Coimbatore on Wednesday.
The SUV, a white Audi, which was proceeding from Pollachi to Coimbatore, lost control near Periyar bus stop on the state highway at 9.30am on Wednesday. The driver of the car, Jagadeesh, lost control of the vehicle and hit two people, who were waiting at the bus stop.
The car then hit an autorickshaw, which was parked on the side of the road, and that in turn crashed into a flower shop and an electric pole. Six people, who were waiting near the Periyar bus stop, were killed in the accident. The victims are four men and two women including a college student, and they have been identified as Somu (55), Suresh (43), Amsaveni (30), Subhashini (20), Srirangadas (75) and Kuppammal (60). Two of the victims were inside the autorickshaw at the time of the crash.
Those injured have been rushed to a nearby hospital.
Visuals from the accident show a mangled autorickshaw while the front of the Audi has been damaged owing to the high-impact accident.
The District Commissioner of police, Periaiah rushed to the spot and is carrying out an investigation.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the injured in hospital, Coimbatore District Collector Hariharan told the media, "This is an unfortunate incident. The police has taken a blood sample of the driver to check if he was drunk when he was driving the car.”
The car reportedly belongs to the owner of Raththinam College, Eachanari, Coimbatore. Immediately after the accident, eyewitnesses to the accident caught hold of the driver and beat him. While they claim that the driver of the Audi was speeding, he told them that he had lost consciousness at the wheel at the time of the accident.
"The vehicle was passing by the spot in high speed and I think the driver was drunk since the vehicle swerved. He just hit the auto which went on to hit the flower shop and people who were waiting for the bus in the bus stop," alleged Charles, an eyewitness.
Rosna, another witness said, "We came out of the house after hearing the crash. We saw everything lying broken and scattered. The woman who owns the flower shop, the man who ran the juice shop were all hit by the accident.”