THRISSUR: Five members, including two children, of a nomadic family from Palakkad were run over by a lorry carrying timber while they were sleeping on the closed lane of an under-construction road at Nattika in Thrissur on Tuesday.
The deceased are one-year-old Viswam, four-year-old Jeeva, Kaliyappan, 50, Nagamma, 39 and Bangazhi, 20. Six others were injured. The police said around 20 people were sleeping on the lane when the lorry, carrying timber from Kannur to Perumbavoor in Ernakulam, lost control and ran over them around 3.50 am.
The police have arrested Alex, the cleaner of the lorry who was behind the wheel at the time, as well as lorry driver Jose, who was in an inebriated state. It is suspected Alex was drunk too.
Residents said they heard screams and rushed to the spot. “It was horrifying. The sight of scattered body parts and crushed bodies of little children froze us in terror. I somehow mustered up courage and called the 108 ambulances,” said Ajosh, who had been on his way to Thriprayar temple at the time.
Condition of three critical
As per the police, the truck first rammed the barricades, which were kept on the road signalling vehicles to take a detour as work on the Nattika Bypass of the NH66 is going on, and then ran over the people sleeping on the lane.
A survivor said when one of them screamed and asked the driver to stop, the lorry halted, but moved forward again in a bid to escape. However, since the road had ended, the driver and cleaner abandoned the vehicle and tried to flee, but were caught by the people who had reached the spot.
City Police Commissioner R Ilango said it has been confirmed that Alex was driving the vehicle at the time. “We suspect both of them were heavily drunk. Their medical examination will confirm it,” he said.
District Collector Arjun Pandian said steps had been taken to ensure adequate treatment of the injured people who have been admitted to the Thrissur MCH. The collector said of the six injured persons, the condition of three – Jayavardhan, Vijay and Chithra – is critical.
The Valappad police have registered a case under Section 281 (rash driving), Section 125A (act endangering life of personal safety of an individual), Section 105 (culpable homicide that does not quantify as murder) and Section 35 (right of private defence of body) of BNS. After completing inquest procedures, the mortal remains of the five people were taken to their hometown at Govindapuram in Palakkad.
