Coimbatore: Two persons were buried alive when sand fell on their van after collision with a sand lorry near Sulur today.

The van carrying vessels collided head-on with a sand-laden lorry at Ranganathapuram, about 20 km from here. Under the impact the lorry turned sideways and sand fell on the van, trapping three passengers, police said.

Police rushed to the spot and extricated the three after an hour-long struggle. However, two persons, Karthi (25) and Vellayan (35), were declared dead, while Benit (28) suffered and was admitted to a nearby private hospital.

Police are on the lookout for the lorry driver, who fled the scene immediately after the mishap, which resulted in traffic disruption for nearly one and half hour, police said.