Two children from Maharashtra killed in TN road mishap

Tragedy struck a group of tourists from Maharashtra when two children were killed and three others injured when their van and a lorry collided near here today.
Police said the mishap occurred when 46 tourists from Shapur Taluk in Thane District were returning to Madurai in two vans after offering worship at the famous Lord Ramanathaswamy temple in Rameswaram in the district.
Five-year-old Shakil and his eight-year old sister Vaishanavi, children of Shajan Patil, who were seated in the front portion of the ill-fated van were thrown out under the impact of the collision with the sand-ladden lorry and died on the spot at Pattinam Kathan Village on the East Coast Road.

Their parents and another relative were injured and had been admitted to the government hospital here, police said.
The lorry driver fled the spot after the accident.
The tourists had arrived in Tamil Nadu by train and engaged the vans for visiting various places such as Kanyakumari and Rameswaram, police said.