Five of a Kerala family found dead

Thiruvananthapuram: Five persons from a family at Mattampuram near Thrissur were found dead Thursday morning, in an apparent suicide pact. A sixth member of the family is in a critical condition.

The deceased were identified as Manackal Devassy (57), his wife Elsy (50), their daughter-in-law Mini (28) and Mini's children Aneesha (8) and Alby (6). Devassy's son Shibu, who was found in a critical condition, has been admitted to the intensive care unit in a private hospital.

Devassy and Mini were found hanging, Elsy had cut her veins and Shibu and the children had consumed poison.

Financial strain

The family were making a living by tapping rubber, and acute financial strain is considered to have prompted them to take their lives. Police found a suicide note from the house.

Earlier this week, three school boys from Alappuzha, Binu, Shaikh Shihaz and Afzal, had drowned in the Chalakkudy river. The three had gone on a picnic to the river with seven other friends and they had shot a picture showing all ten of them in the river using a self-timed camera shot just before the tragedy.

Two of them were from the Leo XIII High School in Alappuzha and the third from the Lajjanatul Mohammadiya school.