4 of a family killed as their car rams into bus in Kerala
Four members of two families, including a newlywed couple, were killed early Sunday after the car in which they were travelling rammed into a bus carrying Sabarimala pilgrims
Four members of two families, including a newlywed couple, were killed early Sunday after the car in which they were travelling rammed into a bus carrying Sabarimala pilgrims near Murinjikal in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, police said.
According to the police and road transport officials, the Swift Dzire car rammed into a bus carrying Sabarimala pilgrims from Telangana around 4:05 am near Murinjakal on the Punalur-Muvattupuzha state highway.
Pathanamthitta RTO H Ansari told reporters: “It looks like the car rammed into the bus at high speed. The bus was coming from the opposite direction and the car was driving down a slope. It could be a case of the person driving the car falling asleep.”
A father-son duo, who lived nearby and rushed to the accident scene, said, “A big sound awoke us. The car was badly mangled and the doors were jammed. There were signs of life only in the woman who seemed to be stirring. We managed to extract her from the car and sent her to the hospital in an ambulance. The three others had died on the spot.”
Police said that the deceased were identified as Nikhil Eapen, his wife Anu Biju, Nikhil’s father Mathew Eapen, and Anu’s father Biju P George.
Family members said Nikhil and Anu, who got married on November 30, had soon left for Malaysia for their honeymoon. After their vacation, they landed at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport early Sunday. The accident took place while the couple were returning home from the airport with their respective fathers.
Transport minister KB Ganesh Kumar told reporters that the accident prima facie seemed to have been caused by a driver who fell asleep at the wheel.
“It’s an extremely sad incident. Four members of two families have died. Prima facie, it looks like the person driving the car fell asleep. It is a busy route due to the ongoing Sabarimala pilgrimage. The accident took place just 7 kilometres away from the victim’s home. Everyone should be vigilant especially while driving at night,” he said.
While Nikhil was employed in Canada, his wife Anu was a recent social work graduate. The couple were set to return to Canada in January.
Kerala, according to statistics of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, ranks second in the country in terms of number of accidents on national highways.
