MADURAI/DINDIGUL: Grief enveloped Dindigul and Madurai districts as the news broke that eight students from a private engineering college in Dindigul lost their lives after their car crashed into a stationary truck in Thrissur district of Kerala late on Friday night.
The dead students were: I Suriya (20) from Adiyanoothu (Dindigul); K Yuvasanjith (21) from Anna Nagar in Athikombai (Dindigul); N Jeeva (20) from VT Patti (Dindigul); G Santhosh (20) from Navinipatti (Madurai); R Prasanna (20) from Viraganoor (Madurai); J Joshua Hilson (20) from Old Vilangudi (Madurai); M Murali (20) of Ayyankottai, Vadipatti (Madurai); and V Viswa (20) from Omalur (Salem).
Yuvasanjith's father M Karthikeyan is a financier and a prominent personality in Athikombai Panchayat in Oddanchatram.
Speaking to TNIE, Karthikeyan said, "My elder son Yuvasanjith wanted to pursue a career in the construction industry. Though I was reluctant, later I accepted. He was enrolled in a private engineering college in Dindigul district. On Friday morning, he mentioned that would go for a tour of Kerala with his friends. I allowed him as it was a holiday. He left the house in the afternoon, and promised to return on Saturday evening. Unfortunately, we received a telephonic call from the police in Kerala."
Another deceased student, N Jeeva, belonged to VT Patti panchayat in the Shanarpatti block in Dindigul.
Jeeva's uncle M Mani said, "Jeeva's father Natrajan and relatives have been engaged in farming for the past several decades. We never focused on higher education. So we enrolled him in a B.E. course. He wanted to spend some time with friends. Unfortunately, we lost him. If he had completed the course, he would have become the first engineering graduate in our joint family."
Another victim, G Santhosh was from Navinipatti panchayat in Madurai district. K Peer Mohammed, a long- time resident of Navinipatti, said,"Santhosh was the elder son of Gokul who runs a driving school in the panchayat. He stayed in the hostel as the distance between Melur and the college is more than 60 km. We lost a youth who would have been the first engineering graduate from the area."
Sources say the eight students travelled to visit tourist spots in Kerala. They had planned a two-day trip and return on Sunday.