Three persons were killed when the car they were travelling in rammed a metro pillar at Muttom, near Aluva, in the wee hours of Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as T.T. Rajendra Prasad, 56, his son T.R. Arun Prasad, 32, and Chandran Nair, all natives of Kottayam. The accident occurred around 3 a.m. when the car, driven by Rajendra Prasad, lost control, rammed the pillar, and ran over the road-median before overturning.
While the car driver died on the spot, the other two were rushed to hospital where they succumbed to injuries later.
“The three were returning to Kottayam after seeing off Sreeraj, son of Chandran Nair, to Sharja from the international airport at Nedumbassery. Preliminary investigation suggested that the driver might have dozed off, resulting in the accident,” the police said.
Rajendra Prasad is a librarian with Malayala Manorama , while Arun Prasad is employed with the online news portal of the same company. The bodies were handed over to relatives after post-mortem.
The Aluva traffic police have registered a case. A detailed probe is on to ascertain the actual cause of the accident.
The national highway stretch between Aluva and Muttom has witnessed several accidents over the past few months including a hit-and-run case in which three persons, engaged in the Kochi metro work, were mowed down by a speeding truck.
Youth killed
In another incident, a 19-year-old was killed after an autorickshaw hit his motorcycle at Mekkalady. The deceased was identified as Lismon, son of Shaju, a native of Kanjoor.
The accident occurred when Lismon was heading towards Malayatoor from Kalady. The exact cause for the accident is yet be known.
The autorickshaw driver was arrested and later released on bail. He was booked under Section 304-A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC. The vehicles have been seized, and a probe is on.
Accidents on rise
The Ernakulam Rural police have reported a sharp rise in the number of road accidents with each passing year. According to official estimates, the region witnessed 2,716 accidents in the first 10 months of the current year, claiming 244 lives and leaving 2,595 persons injured.
