In a gruesome accident that sparked a violent reaction, eight members of a family, including two women and three children, were killed when a speeding bus ran over an autorickshaw at Mukkola, near Tanur, on Friday evening. Another person was admitted to the Medical College Hospital, Kozhikode, with serious injuries.
An angry mob torched the bus and charged at the police and the Fire and Rescue Services. A fire force vehicle was destroyed in mob attack. The police resorted to a lathicharge to disperse the mob. The private bus was heading towards Kozhikode when it rammed the autorickshaw from behind around 6 p.m. on the Tanur-Parappanangadi road.
The family of Kunhipeedikakkal Kabeer, 25, from Anangadi, Vallikkunnu, was returning home in the autorickshaw after attending a wedding at Tanur. Apart from Kabeer, his relatives Arshakh, 22, Saheera, 45, her children Tafseer, 6, Tabsheera, 3, and Ansar, 1, Arifa, 42, and her daughter Nasla, 7, were killed in the accident. Their bodies were mangled badly as the autorickshaw got crushed under the speeding bus. Some passengers of the bus too were injured in the accident. They were treated at a private hospital at Tanur.Traffic along the route came to a standstill for more than three hours as the angry mob prevented the police and the fire force from reaching the spot. They prevented the fire engine from nearing the burning bus.
District Collector K. Biju said that stringent actions would be taken against those responsible for the accident.
