Chennai, Nov 27 (IANS): Five women were killed on Wednesday after a speeding car hit them on the highway off Mammallapuram, near here, police said.

The police said the accident occurred when a car proceeding towards Mamallapuram from Chennai went off track and crashed into a group of people sitting by the roadside.

All five victims died instantly due to severe injuries.

Police sources told IANS that the car driver has been detained and a probe was underway.

In Tamil Nadu, a total of 18,074 people died in 66,841 road accidents in 2023, an increase from the previous year's statistics.

In 2022, 17,884 fatalities were reported from 64,105 accidents, according to the data from the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB).

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

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. The Covid-19 pandemic years - 2020 and 2021 - are not considered for analysis purposes by the planners.

In terms of total accidents in 2023, Chennai and Coimbatore cities stand at top positions with 3,642 accidents and contribute to 5.45 per cent each of accidents.

Chengalpattu recorded 3,387 accidents (5.07 per cent), followed by Tiruppur at 3,292 (4.93 per cent) and Salem at 3,174 (4.75 per cent).

In terms of fatalities, Coimbatore stands first with 1,040 persons killed last year - 5.75 per cent out of the total 18,074 fatalities.

Chengalpattu district saw 912 deaths in road accidents (5.05 per cent of total fatalities), Madurai recorded 864 (4.80 per cent), Tiruppur, 861 (4.76 per cent) and Salem 787 (4.35 per cent).