THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 50-year-old man was killed and 18 others injured in a road accident at Pattoor junction when the tempo traveller they were travelling lost control and rammed an electric pole on the median of the road on Monday.
The deceased has been identified as Ajayakumar, a resident of Kadinamkulam. The city traffic police have registered a case in connection with the accident.
According to police, the accident took place around 12.20 pm when the van ferrying 19 members of INTUC were returning to Kadinamkulam after attending an agitation in front of the Secretariat.
Ajayakumar was the Kadinamkulam mandalam president of INTUC. When the van reached Pattoor junction, the signal were yellow.
But the driver of the van did not stop and increased its speed to cross the signal. Eventually, the van lost control and rammed an electric pole on the divider. The van apparently overturned and Ajayakumar got trapped in the vehicle as he was sitting beside the driver’s seat. Though he was taken to Medical College Hospital, he was declared dead on arrival.
Around 12 passengers, including women, were taken to the intensive care unit of the Medical College Hospital and six admitted to General Hospital. As per the information from the hospital, the condition of the injured was stable. Ajayakumar ‘s body was handed over to the family after post-mortem examination, cops said.