KALPETTA: An 11-year-old schoolgirl was killed and her seven-year-old brother injured after a speeding car, allegedly on the wrong side of the road, rammed into the siblings as they were walking to tuition classes at Randenalu in Mananthavady, Wayanad, on Saturday.
The deceased is Diva Rajesh, daughter of Rajesh and Swapna of Padinjareputhanpura at Pannichal, Randenalu, a Class 6 student of St Patrick’s School in Mananthavady. The accident occurred around 4.30pm when she was walking along the roadside with her younger brother, Derrick.
According to preliminary information, the vehicle, travelling from Kallodi towards Mananthavady, veered to the right side of the road and struck the children from behind. The car then collided with an oncoming scooter, leaving its occupants injured as well.
Diva, who was critically injured, was rushed to Wayanad Medical College Hospital and later shifted to a private hospital in Meppadi. However, her life could not be saved.
The car was driven by Saji Abraham of Ayilamoola, a distant relative of the deceased. He is undergoing treatment at Wayanad MCH after reportedly experiencing a sudden health issue.
Mananthavady SI Anand said the accident might have occurred after the driver lost control of the vehicle while driving at excessive speed amid rainy conditions. “Preliminary assessments indicate that he was not under the influence of any intoxicating substances. The vehicle was being driven at an excessive speed, and it is believed that control was lost due to the rainy conditions,” he said.
Diva’s father Rajesh, who served as an IT coordinator at Wayanad MCH, is currently in Austria. Her mother Swapna runs a beauty parlour in Mananthavady. Diva is survived by her siblings, Dikha and Derrick.
