Kerala road accident: Four engineering graduates from Bengaluru killed as car crashes into tree
Friends’ trip from Bengaluru to family wedding ends in deadly Kannur collision
Four engineering graduates were killed and another critically injured after the car they were travelling in crashed into a roadside tree in India’s Kerala state while they were heading to a family wedding, local media reported.
According to Manorama News, the accident occurred around 11.15pm (local time) on Friday near Koodali in Kannur district, when the vehicle carrying five friends from Bengaluru reportedly lost control and struck a tree.
The victims were identified as Shaan Siraj, 21, from Kannur; Mohammed Rizwan, 21, from Kasaragod; Harsh Sathuri, 21, from Hyderabad; and Param Chhetri, 21, from Uttar Pradesh.
Their friend Aditya Krishnan, 21, from Thrissur, was critically injured and is receiving treatment at a private hospital.
Friends were travelling to attend wedding
The group had left Bengaluru at around 4pm on Friday to attend the wedding of Shaan’s cousin in Kannur. They had completed their aeronautical engineering studies at the VSM Institute of Aerospace Engineering and Technology in Bengaluru just two months earlier.
The group was reportedly less than 20km from Shaan’s home after an eight-hour journey when the crash occurred.
Police suspect speeding or driver fatigue
Fire and rescue officials said the car, which had Uttar Pradesh registration plates, may have been travelling at high speed before the driver lost control.
Mattannur police said they were also investigating whether the driver may have fallen asleep at the wheel, causing the vehicle to leave the road and hit the tree.
Local residents who were nearby rushed to the crash site and helped remove some passengers before emergency teams arrived. Firefighters later used hydraulic rescue equipment to cut open the heavily damaged front section of the vehicle and recover those trapped inside.
Last photo shared before crash
Before starting the journey, the friends took a selfie inside the car and sent it to relatives waiting in Kannur, saying they had begun their trip. The image, published by Manorama News, later became the last photograph received by their families before news of the crash reached the wedding venue late Friday night.
Authorities said an investigation into the cause of the accident is ongoing.
