IDUKKI: Dreams of five poor families lay shattered when a road accident claimed the lives of five youngsters at Perumbavoor on Thursday. Jibin, son of Yesudas-Saraswathy couple of Puthanpurackal House, Chemmanu near Elappara, had decided to go with two of his friends to Oman in search of a job to help his family.
His brother, Jerrin, who was working at a software company in Chennai, and his childhood friends Janeesh, Vijay, Unni and Kiran also accompanied him en route to the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery, for a happy farewell to Jibin. Destiny, however, had other things in store for them. It took Jerrin and four of Jibin’s friends away as their car met with an accident, leaving Jibin alive to bid his friends a farewell of the saddest kind.
The residents told Express they had seen off Jibin and the other two boys with prayers and wishes of success on their Oman journey to lend a helping hand to a struggling family.
“We came to know about the incident on Thursday morning through the media. It was a shocking piece of news,” one of the residents said. While two of the three cars the group were travelling in reached the airport, there was no sight of Jibin’s car. The tragedy had already happened, instantaneously.
Having been married over a year ago, Vijay and wife Jaya have a five-month old baby. Vijay, Unni, Kiran and Janeesh were working as drivers in Elappara town. Vijay was driving the ill-fated car to Nedumbassery. The seven people in the car, including the injured Sujith, have been friends since childhood. The condition of Sujith and Jibin, both admitted to a hospital in Kochi, is said to be serious.
Elappara bids adieu to youngsters
Thousands of people thronged Elappara town on Thursday despite heavy rain to pay last respects to the youths fate had snatched away in the prime of their lives. Their mortal remains were brought in four separate ambulances by 4 pm and were kept in the Elappara town for the public to pay homage. Later, they were brought to their respective houses. Vijay’s body was buried at St Paul’s CSI Church, Elappara and Janeesh’s at the CSI Church at Bonami. The funeral of Unni, Jerrin and Kiran will be held on Friday.
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