Four schoolgirls were tragically killed after being run over by a truck while returning home from school in Kerala on Thursday afternoon. The incident occurred around 4:15 pm at Panayampadam, located on the Palakkad-Kozhikode National Highway, in the Kalladikode area of the state.
The victims, all students from the Government Higher Secondary School in Karimba, were in Class 8. According to officials, the truck, which was navigating a curve on National Highway 966, lost control due to drizzle and crashed into a tree before overturning onto the group of students who were walking along the road. While five students were walking together at the time, one managed to escape unharmed.
The four deceased students were identified as Irfana, Midha, Ridha, and Aysha. Local authorities have arrested the truck driver and the cleaner, who were both involved in the incident.
Residents of the area staged protests following the incident, claiming that despite repeated complaints to local authorities about the stretch of the highway becoming an accident hotspot, no action had been taken to address the situation.
Kerala’s Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, expressed his deep sorrow over the accident, calling it both “shocking” and “tragic.” He assured the public that a detailed investigation would be conducted, and necessary actions would be taken to prevent such accidents in the future.
In response to growing concerns about road safety in the area, a senior road transport officer stated that the district collector would convene a meeting the following day to discuss measures to prevent further accidents, including the possibility of setting up temporary traffic-calming methods. Authorities also plan to review CCTV footage from the area to better understand the cause of the tragic accident.
Sources By Agencies