Chennai, Sep 25 (IANS): At least six people were killed and 16 others injured when a tourist van in which they were travelling hit a tree in Tamil Nadu's Ulundurpet, said officials here on Wednesday.

The incident occurred during the early morning hours and the area was receiving heavy rainfall at the time of the mishap.

Those who met with the accident were returning to their homes in Ranipet after visiting Tiruchendur Murugan temple in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, the officials said.

Police said that when the tourist van reached Mettathur village in Ulundurpet, the driver lost control of the vehicle reportedly due to heavy rain and rammed into a tree on the roadside. Six people died on the spot and several were injured.

Locals rushed to the spot after hearing a loud sound and cries of the people. They informed the police.

Police and other rescue teams reached the spot and carried out the rescue operations. All the injured were admitted to the Ulundurpet government hospital. The bodies of the victims have also been shifted to the hospital for autopsy and further proceedings.

The identities of the deceased and the injured are yet to be received. The police filed the case and were investigating.

Further details are awaited.

In Tamil Nadu, a fatality is reported in every fourth accident and 25 per cent of accidents are turning into fatal accidents.

In terms of total accidents last year, Chennai and Coimbatore stood at the top positions with 3,642 accidents followed by Chengalpattu with 3,387 accidents, Tiruppur with 3,292 and Salem with 3,174.

In 2022, 17884 fatalities were reported from 64,05 accidents, according to the data from the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB).

A total of 18,129 fatalities were reported from 62,685 accidents in 2019 while 18,392 deaths from 67,279 accidents were recorded in 2018.