THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 55-year-old woman was fatally knocked down by a racing bike in the Kovalam-Thiruvallam stretch of NH 66 bypass near Kovalam here on Sunday morning.
The deceased identified as Sindhu, a resident of Panathura, had gone out for a morning walk when the mishap occurred by 8 am.
Local residents said the bike was over-speeding and the rider was engaged in racing with two other bikes. The bike hit the woman when she was crossing the road, they said.
The rider, identified as Aravind of Pottakuzhy, sustained serious injuries and is undergoing treatment at the intensive care unit of the Medical College Hospital here.
The local residents said bike racing takes place regularly on the Thiruvallam-Kovalam stretch of the highway on Sundays. Taking advantage of less traffic on Sunday mornings, those engaged in bike racing conduct races on the straight stretch of the highway.
The police, meanwhile, said the bike involved in the accident that killed Sindhu is very powerful and is usually used by youngsters having a fondness for racing.
"We have not retrieved any video footage of the accident yet. To ascertain whether the bike was involved in racing, we are collecting video footage from various points of the city," said an officer.
Meanwhile, the Motor Vehicle Department has directed its officials to cancel the licenses of those, who are found indulging in racing at public places.