A Sabarimala pilgrim was killed and 37 others were injured, one seriously, after the mini bus in which they were travelling rammed the rear side of a lorry laden with wooden logs at Okkal near Perumbavoor in the early hours of Tuesday.
The lorry was parked by the side of the road when the accident took place on the Chelamattam stretch of M.C. Road around 3 a.m. The deceased was identified as Dharmalingam, 44, of Gandhi Nagar, Tirupur, Tamil Nadu.
The contract carriage, registered in Tamil Nadu, was headed from Tirupur to Sabarimala when tragedy struck. “The driver of the bus probably dozed off following which the vehicle rammed the lorry. The passenger who was seriously injured was rushed to a hospital in Coimbatore, while the others who suffered bruises and even fractures remain admitted at various hospitals in Ernakulam,” said Basil Thomas, Sub Inspector, Perumbavoor.
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Local residents had rushed to the spot and rescued those trapped inside the heavily mangled vehicle. Though Dharmalingam was pulled out by Fire and Rescue Services personnel and rushed to a nearby hospital, he succumbed to his injuries later.
Shortly after the incident, a car hit the rear side of the mini bus. The occupants of the car suffered minor injuries.
The police have launched a probe into the incident and are examining CCTV footage to check whether overspeeding caused the accident. The body of the deceased was handed over to relatives after post-mortem by Tuesday afternoon.
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