IDUKKI: At least three members of a family, including a four-year-old child, were killed when the car they were travelling in plunged into the river after veering off the Irumbupalam near Adimaly on the Kochi-Dhanushkodi National Highway 49.
P J Joy, 51, ‘Payappan’, Chalakkudy Thrissur, his wife Shali Joy, 47 and granddaughter Sara are the deceased. The other occupants of the ill-fated vehicle - Jisna, 23, Jeena, 20 and Jeevan, 16 - children of Joy and Jisna’s husband Gio, 35, however, escaped with injuries suffered in the mishap which occurred around 8.30 pm.
According to the police, the accident happened when the seven-member team were returning to Chalakkudy from an outing in Munnar. The driver lost control of the car while negotiating a curve near the Cherayi bridge and the vehicle plunged into the river, a tributary of the Deviyar.Shali and Sara died on the spot while Joy died en route to the hospital.
The injured have been admitted to the Adimaly Taluk Hospital.The relief and rescue operation was led by the fire force team from Adimaly with the help of the people. The bodies of the deceased have been kept at Adimaly Taluk hospital mortuary.
Devikulam MLA S Rajendran visited the accident spot. Traffic was disrupted for several hours in Adimaly after the people blocked the road in protest against the authorities’ failure to put in place proper security measures to avert mishaps along the route.