11 dead, 14 hurt as van rams into truck

NAMAKKAL: As many as 11 persons were killed and 14 injured when the van in which they were travelling dashed against a lorry on Mohanur-Valiapatti National Highway on Wednesday.The dead, hailing from Thiruvaiyaru in Tiruchy, had come to attend a funeral at Mohanur near here.According to sources, Selvaraj of Thirupanthurithi in Thiruvayaru, along with his family and relatives, reached Mohanur in a van on Wed­nesday, to attend his mother-in-law Kalaiammal’s funeral. Just before the funeral, a group of nearly 30 people started their return journey. While proceeding along the Mohanur-Valiapatti NH, the van collided with a cattle feed-laden lorry that was heading to Mohanur.Ten passengers were killed on the spot.Police and revenue officials, who reached the spot, took the injured to Namakkal Government Hospital and private hospitals. One passenger later died at the Namakkal GH.  Those who suffered head injuries were referred to the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital in Salem.The dead included Shanti (40), Duraimanikkam (55), Kamakshi (60), Parvathi, Ayrasu, Kalavathi, Neelavathi, Kalaimagal and Rajendran.Two, including the van driver and a woman, are yet to be identified.  One of the injured persons, Amuda of Sriram Nagar in Thiruvaiyaru, said that the van overturned after the collision.