Kerala

Accidents claim four lives in the State

ALAPPUZHA/Kannur: Two accidents, in the State, one late on Sunday night and the other on Monday, claimed four lives.

Two persons, including a six-month-old boy, were killed and nearly 50 people injured when a bus hit a car on National Highway 47 near S.D. College at Kalarkode, south of Alappuzha, on Monday. In Kannur, two persons, including a 10-year-old boy, were killed, and three injured when a bus hit their autorickshaw near Puthiyatheru on the National Highway in Valapattanam police station limits.

In another accident, at least 30 persons sustained injuries when two private buses collided with each other at Karanthur in Kozhikode on Monday. The accident occurred at 6.30 a.m. The injured have been admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, the police said.

The infant killed in the Alappuzha accident was Davis, son of Anil of Kadavanthara, Ernakulam.

He was travelling in the car. Harris, 36, of Paravur, near Punnapra, was the cleaner of the bus, which overturned after hitting the car.

At least 10 of the 50 bus passengers injured have serious injuries. Some of them were shifted to the Government Medical College, Kottayam. Some are undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College, Alappuzha. Several others were discharged after being administered first aid.

Harris, the regular driver of the bus, was officiating as cleaner when the accident occurred. He is survived by wife, Asura, and daughters, Naureen and Surumi.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan; Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac; K.C. Venugopal, MLA; P.P. Chitharanjan, Municipal Chairman; P.K. Chandranandan, CPI(M) district secretary, A.A. Shukoor, president, District Congress Committee, visited the injured at the Alappuzha medical college.

District Collector V.K. Balakrishnan said the relatives of the dead would be given an ex gratia of Rs.5,000 each. Those injured would be given Rs.1,000 each.

The dead in the Kannur accident are Puthanveettil Devi, 62, and her grandson, Jishnu, 10. Kamala, 33, daughter of Devi and mother of Jishnu; her husband, Pradeepan, 38, and autorikshaw driver, K. Lijo, 32, were injured.

The police said the family was returning home at Chempanthotti here after they reached the railway station here late night. They were returning from a visit to the Guruvayur temple.

The autorickshaw was hit by the bus carrying Haj pilgrims from Trikkarippur in Kasaragod to the Calicut airport.

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