Two women devotees from Ramanathapuram, who were on a padayatra to a temple in Thondi in the district, were killed in an accident on East Coast Road (ECR) near Naganenthal in the early hours of Thursday (July 24, 2025).

The police said about 18 women from M.S.K. Nagar, as part of an Aadi month ritual, went on a padayatra to Baagam Piriyal temple at Thiruvetriyur near Thondi.  

As they were on their way to the temple on ECR early in the morning, an unidentified vehicle hit the women and fled.

While two of the women – M. Shanthi, 50, and B. Buvaneshwari, 40 – died on the spot, another, M. Nagajothi, 45, was injured and admitted to Ramanathapuram Government Medical College Hospital for treatment.  

Police sources said that since it was a new moon day, visibility would have been low in the early morning hours. Unlike major ‘padayatras’ to places like Palani and Tiruchendur, where the police are informed in advance and take precautionary measures such as distributing reflective stickers to devotees, smaller events like this are often unorganised and go unreported, they added.