Date:01/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/01/stories/2007120159170100.htm

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Five killed in accident near Attingal

Staff Reporter

TRAGIC: The mangled remains of the car that collided with a tanker lorry near Attingal on Friday, killing five persons.

Thiruvananthapuram: Five persons were killed when their car dashed against a tanker lorry in front of the Government Lower Primary School, Korani, near Attingal, on NH-47 on Friday.

The rural police said the accident occurred at 6.05 a.m. The car was coming from Alappuzha to the Thiruvananthapuram airport. The lorry was on its way to Kollam from Karamana.

The dead are Vijayakumar, 28, of Alappuzha; Vinod Kumar, 28, of Thamarakulam; Subash, 25, of Charumood; Praveen Kumar, 26, of Charumood; and Ajayan, 24, of Chittaril Kizhakke.

The cleaner of the tanker lorry, Ani, 39, from Karamana, sustained serious injuries and had been admitted to the Medical College Hospital here.

Vijayakumar, accompanied by friends and relatives, was going to the airport to fly to Dubai after a four-month leave.

The car reportedly swerved to the left and dashed against the lorry coming in the opposite direction.

The police said Vinod Kumar, teacher, was at the wheels. The car got entangled beneath the tanker lorry and was dragged 30 metres before the heavy vehicle came to a halt. Kerala Fire and Rescue Services personnel were summoned to assist the police. They had to work for more than one hour to extricate the bodies. The bodies were handed over to relatives after post-mortem examination.

Staff Reporter adds from Alappuzha: Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan visited the houses of the accident victims at Thamarakkulam, near Alappuzha.

Later District Collector V.K. Balakrishnan distributed financial assistance to the kin of the dead.