The vehicle, carrying pilgrims back to their hometown in Tamil Nadu’s Andipatti, crashed onto a penstock pipe carrying water to Tamil Nadu on the Kumily-Cumbum route.
At least eight people were killed after the vehicle they were travelling in plunged into a gorge near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border on Friday, December 23. The people were returning from Sabarimala in Kerala to their home town in Tamil Nadu’s Andipatti when the accident occured near Kumily. District Collector KV Muralidharan informed that two persons who were injured during the accident were admitted to hospital. Reports state that a minor boy was among the deceased.
According to reports, the driver of the van lost control while navigating a hairpin turn, and fell into a 40-foot gorge. The vehicle crashed onto a penstock pipe carrying water to Tamil Nadu on the Kumily-Cumbum route. Of the 10 people in the van, seven died on the spot and one died while being transported to the hospital. Two others, including a child, were injured and are said to be in a serious condition. Police and rescue teams arrived at the scene to rescue the injured and investigate the accident. The Kumily police have registered a case in connection with the accident.
Earlier in December, four people were killed and at least 15 others injured in a road accident in Andhra Pradesh’s Bapatla district. The victims were from Krishna district’s Pedana mandal and were returning home from a pilgrimage to Sabarimala. The accident occurred near Jampani village in Vemuru mandal when a mini truck in which they were travelling overturned.
Source: The News Minute