Kerala Crash: Eight Engineering Students Dead After Car Hits Parked Lorry
Eight engineering students from Tamil Nadu were killed late Friday night when their car collided with a lorry parked on National Highway 66 in Kerala's Thrissur district, police said on Saturday. The crash occurred at around 11.40 pm at Panambikkunnu, near Kaipamangalam.
The students' car, travelling from Guruvayur to Kodungallur, struck the rear of a Maharashtra-registered lorry. According to the First Information Report, the lorry was parked illegally on the right side of the highway, near a barricaded stretch where traffic had been diverted due to construction work.
Police said the car was moving at high speed and the driver apparently failed to notice the diversion barricade before hitting the stationary lorry. The impact was severe; six students died at the scene, and two others were declared dead on arrival at a nearby hospital.
All victims were students of an engineering college in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. Six have been identified as Surya, Yuvasanjith, Vishva, Johua, Santhosh and Prasanna. The first four were from Dindigul, while Santhosh and Prasanna were from Madurai. Names of the remaining two have not yet been confirmed.
Local residents alerted emergency services, and police along with fire and rescue personnel worked to pull the students out of the severely damaged car. Bodies were taken to Thrissur Medical College for postmortem.
Kaipamangalam police have registered a case against the lorry driver under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which relates to culpable homicide. The driver fled the spot and is absconding.
Police used student identity cards to inform families. Some parents were unaware that their children had travelled to Kerala. Relatives are expected to reach Thrissur Medical College, after which postmortem examinations will be conducted.
The incident highlights the dangers of unauthorized parking on highways, especially at night and near construction diversions. NH-66 is a major route in Kerala, and such obstructions on the carriageway can turn fatal if drivers are not alert.
Traffic authorities have often advised motorists to use designated parking areas and exercise caution in construction zones. Enforcement of these norms remains a challenge across many parts of the national highway network.
The investigation is ongoing, and police are examining all factors, including the lorry's parking conditions and the car's speed.
