People gather at the railway underpass where a car got submerged in rainwater, killing a couple, at Semmandapatti near Omalur in Salem district
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
A retired Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) manager and his wife drowned after their car got submerged in rainwater stagnating in a railway underpass near Omalur in the district in the early hours of Monday (May 25, 2026).
The deceased were identified as Venkatachalam and Radha, residents of Chinna Tirupathi in the city. Their son lives in the United States and their daughter in Coimbatore. The couple had been living alone in Salem after Venkatasalam’s retirement.
According to the police, heavy rain lashed Omalur and surrounding areas through Sunday (May 24) night, resulting in severe waterlogging at the railway underpass near Enathi village at Semmandapatti. The couple was travelling by car around 5 a.m. to attend a relative’s wedding in Omalur when the vehicle entered the flooded subway. The police said the car stalled after entering the waterlogged stretch and was subsequently submerged. Unable to get out of the locked vehicle in time, the couple drowned.
Villagers who noticed the submerged car informed the Omalur police. Fire and rescue personnel, along with the police, retrieved the bodies and sent them to the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination. A case has been registered and further investigation is under way.
Published – May 25, 2026 01:01 pm IST
