Chennai, Sep 9 (IANS): Four women were killed when the passenger van in which they were travelling rammed into a water tanker lorry on Thursday morning at Sillanathanam village in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district.

The deceased women identified as G. Selvaranai (48), Santhiya (48), Jothi ( 40) and Manimeghalai (20) were workers of a home decor firm in the district.

Police said that the van was carrying 17 women workers of a home decor company, when it dashed against a water tanker.

Sources said that the accident was due to the rash driving of the driver of the van who tried taking the women to the company before 6.30 a.m. when the attendance punching commences.

A total of 13 women workers in the van other than four dead suffered injuries. Drivers of the van and lorry were also injured thus taking the total injured in the accident to 15. Bodies of the four women have been sent for post-mortem before being handed over to the relatives.

Puthiyamathur Police rushed to the spot for rescue operations and to remove the injured to the hospitals. Police and local people helped retrieve the bodies from the van which was badly mangled. The locals and police cut open the van and then took those who were trapped inside the van to the Thoothukudi Government Medical College hospital.