Five women herders resting on the roadside near Thiruporur in Chengalpattu district were killed on the spot after a speeding car ploughed through them on Wednesday afternoon. M Andhaayi (71), C Logammal (56), G Yasodha (54), S Vijaya (53), and K Gowri (52), all residents of Payanoor village, were sitting along the road after letting their cattle graze in nearby fields when tragedy struck them.

Two of the victims were flung several feet away from the spot in the impact of the collision, sources said, as per a report by The New Indian Express.

The car, with four students from a private college near Thiruporur, was on its way to Mamallapuram when the accident occurred at the Payanoor-Pandithamedu junction on the Old Mahabalipuram Road.

While Joshua (19), who was driving the car, and Ahmed (20) were apprehended by villagers, two others fled the spot.

Enraged over the accident, the villagers thrashed Joshua and Ahmed before handing them over to police. Chengalpattu district police took the two into custody and sent them for medical examination.

A senior police officer told The New Indian Express, “Prima facie, the two did not appear to be under the influence of alcohol, but tests have been ordered to confirm this.”

The bodies of the deceased were sent to Chengalpattu Government Hospital for postmortem examination.

Following the accident, a group of villagers staged a protest blocking the police vehicle and demanding immediate and stringent action against the students involved. They also sought financial assistance for the victims’ families.

The protest was called off after police assured them that their demands would be addressed.