PALAKKAD: Five people, including three children, died and seven others were injured after the van in which they were travelling rear-ended a parked container lorry at Vattaparambu (14th mile) near Walayar on Saturday.
The deceased are Firoj Begum, 65; two-and-a-half-year old Alpha Shilda, granddaughter of Firoj Begum; Sherin, 13, and Mohammed Riyan, 9, children of Moidheen Abu – all belonging to same family at Bharathi Nagar, Karimbukadai in Coimbatore – and van driver Mohammed Shajahan, 30, of Kurichipirivu, Kuniamputhur, Coimbatore.
The family members were on their way to Palakkad to attend a function at a relative’s house when the mishap occurred around 2.30 pm. The injured are Fareedha, 42, daughter of Firoj Begum; Iniya Farhath, 12, daughter of Fareedha; Binas, 36, son of Firoj Begum; his children Nishma, 12, and Mohammed Rizwan, 5; Sajitha, 28, wife of Moidheen Abu and Mehraj, 30. The injured were administered first aid at the District Hospital here and shifted to a hospital in Coimbatore. The front portion of the van was completely destroyed in impact of the collision.
Fire and Rescue Services personnel, policemen from Walayar and Cusaba stations and the highway patrol units reached the spot and carried out rescue operations with the help of local residents. The body of the deceased will be handed over to relatives after postmortem examination at the District Hospital here. The Walayar police have registered a case.