Six devotees were killed and 13 injured after the van they were traveling in hit a tree on the Trichy-Chennai highway in the wee hours of Wednesday.
The group, from Tiruvannamalai, had visited the Murugan temple in Thiruchendur and the Meenakshi Amman temple before starting their journey home.
The accident happened at around 2.30 am near Serathanur when the driver of the van, identified as Vasanth Kumar, lost control and it veered off the road and collided with a tree at high speed. There were two women among those who died.
Nearby passengers immediately alerted the authorities, which led to the arrival of a rescue team. The team, which was equipped with heavy machinery, worked to free 13 people trapped in the wrecked car.
The injured were taken to Mundiyambakkam Government Hospital for treatment.
Six bodies were taken to Villupuram and Mundiyambakkam Government Hospitals for post-mortem.
The police have registered a case and started investigating the accident.