Keralam highway accident: Eight killed after car rams parked truck in Thrissur

Eight students of an engineering college in Tamil Nadu were killed in a road accident in central Keralam’s Thrissur district, police said on Saturday (September 5).

According to police, the deceased were students of an engineering college in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, and were travelling from Guruvayur towards Kodungallur along NH-66. Police said five of the deceased —Surya, Yuvasanjith, Joshua, Murali and Jeeva — were from Dindigul, while Santhosh and Prasanna were from Madurai and Vishva was from Salem.

Fatal Collision On NH-66

The accident occurred around 11.40 pm on Friday (September 4) at Panambikkunnu in Kaipamangalam, when the car, travelling from Guruvayur towards Kodungallur, collided with the rear of a Maharashtra-registered lorry, police said.

According to the police, their car rammed into a lorry parked "illegally" on NH-66 in Thrissur district of central Keralam.

According to the FIR, the lorry was parked illegally on the right side of the highway near a barricaded stretch where traffic had been diverted as part of ongoing construction work.

Police said the car was travelling at high speed and its driver apparently failed to notice the diversion barricade before the collision.

The students were pulled out of the mangled car during a rescue operation involving residents, fire and rescue personnel and police. Police said the identities of two others are yet to be confirmed.

Their bodies were taken to the mortuary at Thrissur Medical College, police said.

Driver absconding

Kaipamangalam police have registered a case against the lorry driver under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for culpable homicide.

The driver went into hiding soon after the accident, police said.

Police contacted the families of the deceased using student identity cards recovered from the victims. Some families were unaware that their children had travelled to Keralam, police said.

Relatives told police that Santhosh had recently purchased a car and that the group had planned a trip to Kochi. As the registration of the car had not been completed, they hired a rented vehicle for the trip, they said.

Postmortem examinations were conducted at Thrissur Medical College, where relatives arrived to receive the bodies. Hospital authorities arranged ambulances to transport the bodies to their respective native places.

Police probe lorry parking

Thrissur Rural District Police Chief Mohammad Nadeemuddin said a preliminary investigation indicated that the accident occurred due to the lorry driver's fault.

"It is definitely a mistake on the part of the lorry driver. An FIR has already been registered. Additionally, regarding the highway authorities and the contractor, we will inspect that as part of the investigation and take strict action," he told reporters.

Nadeemuddin said the lorry driver was absconding, but the vehicle owner had been identified, and the driver would be apprehended soon.

He said that although a Highway Police patrol unit had been deployed in the area, lorry drivers often parked their vehicles and left the spot.

"Definitely, parking should not be done here. We will check whether the highway authorities and contractors have installed proper signboards. But as per the preliminary assessment, this is a mistake on the part of the lorry driver," he said.

Nadeemuddin said the Kodungallur deputy superintendent of police had been assigned to investigate the case.

"Legal action has been initiated, and an FIR has already been registered. Given the gravity of the case, we have designated the deputy SP of Kodungallur as the investigating officer. There will be a thorough investigation, and immediate and strict action will be taken against whoever is at fault. Necessary preventive measures will be taken by the police," he said.

Case of negligence

Serious negligence has been alleged as the cause of the accident that claimed the lives of eight people, including seven students. The car carrying the students crashed into the rear of a lorry that had been parked carelessly on the high-speed track at Kaipamangalam, where construction work on the national highway is underway.

The lorry had been parked in front of a warning sign directing vehicles to a diversion. Officials believe the car driver may not have been able to see the sign because of the lorry blocking it.

"Primary evidence indicate that the accident was caused by the lorry being parked negligently. We will launch a detailed investigation and hold those who are responsible," said O J Janeesh minister for sports who is also the MLA from Kodungallore.