A car travelling on a highway in Kerala's Thrissur district rammed into a parked truck late on Friday night with such force that it was left badly wrecked, and all eight engineering students from Tamil Nadu riding in it died on the spot.
How the crash unfolded
Police said the collision took place around 11:40 pm on Friday at Panambikkunnu in the Kaipamangalam area. The students' car was travelling from Guruvayur towards Kodungallur at the time. Along the way, it rammed into a lorry that was already parked on the highway. The force of the impact left the car completely mangled and triggered panic among people nearby. Passersby who witnessed the crash were left shaken and quickly alerted the police.
All eight were students at a Dindigul engineering college
Initial information indicated that all eight people in the car were students pursuing engineering. They were enrolled at an engineering college in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. The car involved in the accident was registered in Tamil Nadu, and according to early details, its registration was from Madurai, suggesting the students regularly travelled this Tamil Nadu-Kerala route for their studies.
Rescue teams reached the spot, but no one could be saved
As soon as news of the crash spread, police along with other emergency teams rushed to the spot and immediately began rescue operations. However, the collision was so severe that all eight students trapped in the car died on the spot and could not be saved. Police have taken the bodies into custody and begun further legal procedures.
Police probe speed and safety measures around the parked lorry
Police are now trying to establish the exact circumstances in which the car rammed straight into the parked lorry. A key part of the investigation is determining how fast the car was travelling at the time of the crash. Police are also checking whether any safety measures, such as reflectors or warning signs, had been put in place for the lorry parked on the highway. The precise cause of the accident is expected to become clear only once the investigation is complete.
Families informed, grief spreads across Tamil Nadu
The students' families have been informed of the accident. News of the simultaneous deaths of eight young engineering students has plunged their families and acquaintances in Tamil Nadu into mourning. Police say further details about the accident will emerge only once the investigation is complete, and until then they remain focused on establishing the full circumstances of the crash.
