SINGAPORE: A Singaporean couple has been killed in India after a speeding truck slammed into their car on Sunday (Mar 12).
The couple, identified by Indian media as Selvarajan and his wife Naga Jyothi, were pilgrims who were on their way from Chennai to Tirumala in south India when the incident happened at about 8am local time (10.30am, Singapore time).
Tirumala is a popular pilgrimage site for Hindus in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
According to Indian newspaper the Hindu, the Singaporean couple were travelling with a non-Singaporean relative to Tirumala for prayers when their car was struck by a speeding oil container truck.
The Hindu reported that the car was mangled and became stuck under the container, killing the three occupants.
The bodies were “crushed completely” and an earth mover had to be used to remove them. The remains were taken to a nearby hospital for an autopsy.
According to the Times of India, the accident had caused a jam that was only cleared after two hours, and the police had launched a manhunt to nab the truck driver, who had fled the scene.
According to the Straits Times, the couple were Singaporeans and both aged in their 40s. The wake is expected to be held at 633 Hougang Avenue 8 from Wednesday evening, and the cortege will leave for Mandai Crematorium on Thursday evening.
The accident is the latest in a string of fatal road accidents overseas involving Singaporeans.
In January, a 41-year-old Singaporean woman and her four-month-old daughter were killed when their car collided with a truck in Japan.
In February, a 32-year-old woman believed to be a Singaporean died alongside a 32-year-old man when their car veered off a highway in Australia and crashed into a tree.
This story was originally published in TODAY.
