THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two elderly men out on their morning stroll were killed after they were mowed down by a car and left unattended on the roadside near Vazhayila, in Thiruvananthapuram, on Monday morning. Vijayan Pillai and Haridas, both 69, were rammed by a car around 5.30am. The car was carrying Andhra Pradesh natives who were returning from Sabarimala.
The pilgrims were in the capital city to visit Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. Peroorkada police said the car veered off the road and knocked down the two men, who were walking along the footpath. The two fell into an adjacent ditch, where they lay unnoticed by rescuers for nearly 30 minutes.
The driver reportedly dozed off at the wheel resulting in the accident, police said. After ramming the men, the car came to a halt after hitting a tree. Local residents immediately rushed to the spot and pulled out the passengers, including a child, and moved them to hospital.
“Because it was dark, no one noticed the injured men. It was after 30 minutes that one of the residents spotted them. By then they had succumbed to their injuries,” said Peroorkada SHO V Saijunath. The bodies were handed over to relatives after autopsy. Vijayan is survived by wife Padma Kumari and daughter Reshmi. Haridas is survived by wife Mini and daughters Meera Das and Meenu Das.