Tamil Nadu paddler dies in Meghalaya car crash before tourney

MTTA Vice-President Bruce P Marak and General Secretary Chiranjib Choudhury expressed condolences on the death of Vishwa, an extremely gifted and promising table tennis player.

Teenaged table tennis player Deenadayalan Vishwa was killed and three other paddlers from Tamil Nadu were injured when their taxi collied with a 12-wheel truck in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district on Sunday, police said.

The four players from the southern Indian state were on their way from Guawahati Airport to Shillong in a tourist taxi to take part in the 83rd Senior National Table Tennis Championship. Police said the 12-wheel truck coming from the opposition direction hit the taxi in Shangbangla area at around 1:50 pm.

Vishwa, 18, died on the way to Nongpoh Civil Hospital in Ri-Bhoi district, while the other players are now admitted at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health & Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) here. They are out of danger, the Meghalaya Table Tennis Association (MTTA) said in a statement.

The teenager had won several junior, sub-junior and cadet titles in the country and abroad and his demise is a huge blow to the sport in India, it said.

Vishwa's family members are scheduled to reach Nongpoh where his body was kept. MTTA Vice-President Bruce P Marak and General Secretary Chiranjib Choudhury expressed condolences on the death of Vishwa, an extremely gifted and promising table tennis player.

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