8 engineering students killed in Keralam’s Thrissur

Eight engineering students from Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul were killed when their car rammed into a lorry parked “illegally” on NH-66 in Thrissur district of central Keralam, police said on Saturday.

The accident occurred around 11.40 pm on Friday at Panambikkunnu in Kaipamangalam, when the car, travelling from Guruvayur towards Kodungallur, collided with the rear of the Maharashtra-registered lorry, police said. 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. Six students died on the spot, while two others were declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital, police said. The deceased were students of an engineering college in Dindigul and were travelling 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. The students were pulled out of the mangled car during a rescue operation involving residents, fire and rescue personnel and police. Their bodies were taken to the mortuary at Thrissur Medical College, police said.

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 of the 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. 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.

Keralam Minister Janeesh raises safety concerns

Keralam Chief Minister VD Satheesan on Saturday expressed concern over recurring accidents and safety issues on National Highway stretches in the State following the death of eight engineering students in Thrissur district.

He also said that he would urgently raise the matter with the National Highways Authority of India. The NHAI said comprehensive safety measures and warning signs had been installed well ahead of the accident site.

Eight students from Tamil Nadu were killed late Friday night when the car in which they were travelling rammed into a lorry parked on NH-66 at Kaipamangalam in Thrissur district. In a post on ‘X’, Satheesan said he was “deeply concerned” over the increasing number of accidents and safety issues on National Highways in Keralam, particularly on stretches under construction.

He said he would urgently raise the matter with the NHAI and urged Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari to order a comprehensive safety review of ongoing highway projects in the state.

“Request Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to kindly accord high priority to a thorough safety review and immediate corrective action on NH projects in the State. Public safety must remain paramount,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Keralam Sports Minister O J Janeesh, who represents Kodungalloor in Thrissur district, also criticised the NHAI following the deaths of the eight engineering students.

Janeesh alleged that the NHAI had been uncooperative whenever public representatives convened meetings or raised concerns over construction work on NH-66.

“From the visuals, it appears that the car crashed into the rear of a parked vehicle. The spot where the vehicle was parked on the highway was not a designated parking area. That is a major issue,” he said.