5-yr-old dies, 30 hurt in road mishap

SALEM: A five-year-old boy died and about 30 people were injured when a lorry in which they were returning from a hill temple in Yercaud toppled over on the Ghat Road on Sunday evening.The incident triggered tension at Hasthampatti as youth in large numbers from Swaminathapuram in Arisipalayam staged a road blockade demanding that action be taken against a private hospital for allegedly refusing to treat the boy.According to the police, Venkatesan (50) of Sangeethapatti near Karupur along with his relative went to the Muniappan Temple, located on the 12th hairpin bend on the Yercaud hill on Sunday morning. He sacrificed a goat to the deity and held a feast there.While returning to Salem, driver of the lorry and son of Venkatesan Sakthivel could not negotiate the fourth hair pin bend. The vehicle toppled and the passengers, including children, were injured.Youth from Swaminathapuram, who helped rescue the injured, when they took Harishraj (5), son of Venkatesan’s relative Soosai Raj, and Ramani (13), son of Sendrayan to Rudra­moorthy Hospital in Hasthampatti, no duty doctors were present and the nurses refused to take up the case. Harishraj died on way to Salem GH.