Keralam Accident: Eight engineering students from Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul were killed. The accident occurred around 11:40 pm at Panambikkunnu in Kaipamangalam, when a Tamil Nadu-registered car travelling from Guruvayur to Kodungallur crashed into the rear of a Maharashtra-registered goods lorry. The impact was severe enough to mangle the car completely, trapping its occupants inside. Seven of the eight died at the scene, while the eighth succumbed on the way to hospital. Rescue teams had to cut open the wreckage to extricate the victims.
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Illegal Parking Near Construction Zone Under Scrutiny
According to the FIR, the lorry had been parked illegally on the right side of the highway near a barricaded stretch where traffic was being diverted for ongoing road-widening work. Kaipamangalam police have booked the lorry driver under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for culpable homicide. The driver reportedly went into hiding immediately after the crash, and a search is underway to trace him.
Grief-Stricken Families Learn of the Tragedy
Police used student identity cards recovered from the wreckage, including one linked to PSNA College of Engineering and Technology, to trace and inform the victims’ families. Several families were reportedly unaware their children had even travelled to Kerala. Postmortem examinations are set to begin once relatives reach Thrissur Medical College to identify the bodies.
Renewed Scrutiny of Highway Safety
Keralam Accident: The crash has reignited concerns over safety along stretches of NH-66 undergoing construction, where temporary diversions and inconsistent lighting have previously been linked to accidents. With Kerala’s highways witnessing several similar tragedies in past years, road safety advocates are once again calling for stricter enforcement against illegal parking and better signage near active work zones.
