Kollam (Kerala) | At least three people, including a school student, were killed and five others injured after a tipper lorry carrying soil lost control and crashed into a bus stop at Neeleswaram in Kottarakkara in this district on Tuesday morning, police said.
The impact of the crash caused the soil carried by the lorry to spill onto people waiting at the bus stop, burying several of them under the heap. The vehicle reportedly hit a bike also.
Among those killed was a student who was waiting to board a bus to school. Some other students were also injured in the accident.
Three persons -- Parthipan (15), Harilal (54) and Ajayakumar (50) -- were brought dead to the Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital, health officials said.
Five others sustained injuries in the accident, of whom three were seriously hurt.
Rishabh (15), Kaushik (15) and tipper lorry driver Nizam (40), who suffered serious injuries, were shifted to various hospitals for specialised treatment, officials said.
Two others -- Navaneeth Krishnan (13) and Jiby Mol (15) -- sustained minor injuries, they added.
Police said efforts were initially undertaken to ascertain whether anyone remained trapped beneath the heap of soil following the accident.
An eyewitness said she and a few others had a narrow escape from the accident.
"I was standing some distance away from the bus stop. The tipper lorry was coming at a high speed. I don't know whether it lost its brakes. It rammed into those standing at the bus stop and the soil loaded in the vehicle fell on them," she told reporters.
Meanwhile, state Health Minister K Muraleedharan directed officials to ensure specialised treatment for those undergoing care at private hospitals.
He said a special medical team has been kept ready at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital to handle any emergency situation arising out of the accident.
The team comprises specialists from various departments, including General Surgery and Orthopaedics. The activities will be coordinated under the leadership of the Medical College Hospital Superintendent, he said.
Health Department officials are also in touch with the private hospitals where the injured are being treated and will take all necessary measures, the minister added.
State Ministers Bindu Krishna and P C Vishnunadh, along with senior Congress leader and MP Kodikunnil Suresh, visited the accident site and interacted with local residents.
Vishnunadh said all treatment expenses of the injured would be borne by the government and that the issue of providing financial assistance to the families of those killed would be taken up with the government.
Krishna said steps would be taken to prevent such accidents in future and expressed concern over tipper lorries carrying heavy loads at high speed, especially during school hours.
The issue was also raised in the Kerala Assembly by Kottarakkara MLA K N Balagopal.
Responding to it, Muraleedharan said those seriously injured in the accident were receiving treatment and directions had been issued to expedite the postmortem procedures of the deceased.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan, in a condolence message, described the accident as tragic and said instructions had been issued to ensure specialised treatment for those injured and admitted to various hospitals, including private medical facilities.
He said Ministers Bindu Krishna and Vishnunadh had reached the accident site immediately after learning about the incident and that a detailed inquiry had been ordered.
The chief minister expressed hope that the injured would recover soon and conveyed condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
Leader of Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan also expressed grief over the loss of lives and urged the government to ensure the best possible medical treatment for all those injured, including students undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
Meanwhile, Motor Vehicles Department officials who examined the vehicle reported several serious violations.
According to officials, the vehicle was 17 years old and had been booked on several occasions earlier for traffic and safety violations. Its fitness certificate was cancelled following the accident.
The said driver did not possess a valid heavy licence to drive a tipper lorry. He had reportedly returned from the Gulf barely a month ago.
The officials further said the vehicle's GPS tracking system had been switched off at the time of the accident and that overspeeding was the primary cause of the crash.
