KOCHI: Four persons died and seven persons were injured in two separate car accidents at Ernakulam district in the early hours of Wednesday.
The first accident took place at Kuthukuzhi near Kothamangalam when two natives of Vaduthala in Kochi lost their lives and six others including three women and a child was injured.
The accident took place at Kochi-Dhanushkodi Highway at around 1 am. The deceased persons were identified as Abu (75) and his son Shafeeq (30). The injured persons were Abu's wife Seenath (66), his daughter Aneesha (36), her son Muhammad Shan (14), Shafeeq's wife Sufeela (28), and two other relatives --- Sulfeekar (19) and Askar (25). Shafeeq and Sufeela got married only recently.
"The family members were returning from the hill station of Munnar in the Idukki district. The car hit a tree adjacent to the road and in the impact, Abu and Shafeeq seated at the front side of the car suffered serious injuries. Even though they were rushed to the nearby hospital, their lives could not be saved. We suspect the person behind the wheel might have slept causing the accident. Shan has suffered a head injury and would be moved to a specialised hospital. The bodies of the deceased persons were released to relatives after postmortem at Kothamangalam Taluk Hospital," a police official.
The second accident took place at MC Road stretch in Marady near Muvattupuzha by around 3.15 am.
The deceased persons were identified as Shamala (60) and Muhammad Ismail (23) both natives of Changanassery, Kottayam. According to police, the accident occurred when the car in which deceased persons were travelling collided with a lorry. Shamala's husband Damodaran (65) suffered serious injuries.
"Damodaran arrived from abroad and Shamala went to Kochi airport to pick him up. Ismail was driving the car. The accident occurred when they were returning to Changansssery. Hearing a loud noise, local residents reached the spot. Even though they were rushed to the hospital nearby, Shamala and Ismail succumbed to injuries," a police official said.
The postmortem procedure was completed at a government hospital in Muvattupuzha and the bodies were handed over to relatives. Damodaran's condition is still critical and he is continuing at ICU, police said.