Three members of a family, including a toddler, were killed when the car they were travelling in plunged into a canal at Puthenvelikkara near North Paravur on Saturday night.
The deceased were identified as Mary, 65, wife of Sebastian of Thuruthur, her daughter-in-law Honey, 32, wife of Belbi who drove the car, and their two-year-old son Aaron. Belbi had a miraculous escape with minor injuries.
The incident occurred around 10.30 p.m. when the family was returning after attending a baptism ceremony near Alamattom. Preliminary investigations revealed that the car plunged into the canal while negotiating a sharp curve near Kanakkankadavu.
“Owing to heavy rain, the driver could not see the road properly. He must have miscalculated the width of the road, resulting in the accident,” said M.K. Murali, Circle Inspector, Vadakkekara.
The incident came to light when a local resident, who runs a meat shop nearby, hearing a loud noise, alerted those in the neighbourhood. When the locals reached the spot, Belbi was lying on the roadside. The car, meanwhile, had fallen into the canal upside down, with both Mary and Honey trapped inside it.
“Though the locals pulled out the two by breaking open the window panes of the vehicle, they could not be saved. Meanwhile, the body of Aaron was fished out around 50 metres away from the spot a couple of hours later,” the CI added.
The police attributed the accident to absence of railing at the spot where the road meets the canal on a sharp turn. “We have erected a temporary fencing at the spot and requested the authorities to set up a permanent break-guard at the location,” the officer said.
Meanwhile, the police have launched a detailed investigation into the incident. The bodies were handed over to family members after post mortem at the North Paravur taluk hospital.
