Car ploughs into TN women fetching water, 3 dead, 1 serious

Madurai: Three women were killed and a woman injured critically when a speeding car ploughed into a group of women fetching water from a roadside tap in Mukkani village near Eral in Tuticorin district on Sunday morning. Car owner D Manikandan, 27, from Eral was returning from Bengaluru with mobile phones bought for his shop in the town when the incident happened at Mukkani.
The car came to a halt after hitting the water pipes and compound wall. Condoling the deaths, chief minister M K Stalin announced a compensation of Rs 3 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for medical expenses of the injured.
Among the women, P Nattar Shanthi, 50, from Mukkani died on the spot while C Amaravathi, 58, and K Parvathi, 35, died on the way to hospital. S Shanmuthai, 55, who suffered serious injuries, was rushed to Tuticorin Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) where her condition remains critical. Athoor police filed a case and arrested Manikandan. Investigation revealed that he lost control as he dozed off behind the wheel. The bodies of the women were sent to the MCH for postmortem.