The students were returning to Chennai from Puducherry when the accident occurred.
Police said the rear tyre of the vehicle burst while it was travelling near Madurantakam, causing the driver to lose control. Police said the four injured students were undergoing treatment. The students, from a city college in Chennai, were returning from Puducherry when the accident occurred. The SUV veered across the road and crashed. Rescue personnel and police reached the spot and shifted the injured to government hospitals in Chengalpet and Madurantakam. Raj Prasad, Duteran and Deepak succumbed to their injuries while undergoing treatment. Ramprasad and Lokeswaran were admitted to SRM Hospital, while Harikrishnan and Aneeswaran were treated at Chengalpet Govt Hospital.
Madurantakam police registered a case and began an investigation into the accident.
The crash also disrupted traffic on the highway before the vehicle was removed and traffic restored.