11 killed in two nights in Kerala as Thrissur highway safety comes under scrutiny

Dubai: Eleven people — eight engineering students and a family of three — have been killed in two horrific crashes on successive nights in Kerala’s Thrissur district, Indian media reported, putting road safety under renewed scrutiny and raising questions over safety arrangements on an under-construction national highway.

The latest tragedy occurred around midnight on Saturday when a speeding car rammed into a motorcycle carrying Muneer, 35, his wife Shifna, 24, and their three-year-old son Emil Aibak on the Guruvayur-Kunnamkulam road.

The family, residents of Edakkazhiyur in Chavakkad, was returning home after attending a wedding and had reportedly stopped their motorcycle by the roadside to answer a phone call when the car lost control and struck them at Kurukkanpara Centre in Kunnamkulam.

The force of the collision threw the three nearly 50 metres. Muneer and Shifna died before reaching hospital, while Emil, who suffered severe injuries, later died, according to the reports.

The driver fled after the crash and police launched a search for him. Two other occupants of the car were taken into custody for questioning. Eyewitnesses cited by local media alleged that the driver appeared to be intoxicated.

The family’s deaths came just a night after another tragedy that has now triggered questions over safety measures on an under-construction stretch of National Highway 66.

Eight engineering students from Tamil Nadu were killed around 11.45pm on Friday when their car crashed into the rear of a goods truck parked near Panambikkunnu Centre at Kaipamangalam.

The victims were students of PSNA College in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, Indian media reported.

The crash has put safety arrangements along the construction zone under scrutiny, with questions being raised over the absence of warning signs, the positioning of the parked truck and whether motorists were adequately alerted to hazards on the road at night.

Local residents alleged there were no warning boards at the accident site before the crash and claimed a board was installed only after the tragedy, Indian Express reported.

A preliminary assessment by Motor Vehicles Department officials who inspected the site suggested that the goods truck had been negligently parked on the road and that this was one of the factors that contributed to the accident, according to media reports.

The speed of the students’ car is also being examined as a possible contributing factor.

Ambulance driver Shahul, one of the first people to reach the scene, and local residents have questioned whether adequate safety measures were in place on the under-construction highway.

Residents alleged that warning and directional signs were inadequate for motorists navigating the construction zone at night.

The allegations have intensified scrutiny of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the contractor over whether sufficient precautions had been taken to allow vehicles to pass safely through the construction area.

District Congress Committee president Advocate Joseph Tajet said concerns about accident risks and safety lapses during the highway construction had been raised earlier. He alleged that adequate corrective measures were not taken and demanded compensation for the victims’ families.

Social activist Latheef Kootummal also alleged that repeated complaints about hazards associated with the highway works had not been adequately addressed.

A special investigation team will probe the crash, while the district collector has sought an explanation from the national highway project director, according to the reports.

Footage reportedly recorded by the students inside their car shortly before the collision has also emerged.

The two midnight tragedies have left 11 people dead in Thrissur in barely 24 hours — while the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the eight students have intensified questions over safety on the under-construction highway.