Two persons, including a differently abled man, were killed and nine others were injured when a vehicle carrying Sabarimala pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh rammed a motorcycle after hitting a truck near Allappara along the Pala-Thodupuzha State Highway.
The deceased were identified as Chandran, alias Jose, 50, of Kadanad, near Pala and Jinde Raju, 40, a native of Anantpur district in Andhra Pradesh. The accident occurred around 12.30 p.m. at Allappa church junction, near Pravithanam.
According to the police, the pilgrims were returning from Sabarimala when their jeep hit a truck, which was parked by the wayside and then rammed the scooter. Chandran, a lottery ticket vendor who was riding the two-wheeler, died on the spot.
Hospitalised
All the injured persons were rushed to Government General Hospital, Pala. The police suspect that the driver of the jeep, Arun, hailing from Chitradurga in Andhra Pradesh, might have dozed off.
The police are yet to take him into custody.
Both the two-wheeler and the jeep were completely damaged in the accident. The police and rescue persons had to cut open the vehicle to take out the injured.
