5 including child die in car-lorry collision in Kerala

Kannur(Kerala): Five persons including a child were killed after their car collided head-on with a lorry here on Monday night, police said.

While the four adults, including a woman, died on the spot, the nine-year-old child succumbed to his injuries at the Government Medical College Hospital at Pariyaram here, police said on Tuesday.

The deceased were identified as K N Padmakumar (59), who was driving the car, Sudhakaran (52), Sudhakaran's wife Ajitha (35), father-in-law Kozhummal Krishnan (65) and Ajitha's nephew Akash (9), they said.

The accident occurred when a lorry hit the car from behind and the four-wheeler rammed into an oncoming lorry carrying gas cylinders, police said.

The car's bonnet went completely underneath the oncoming lorry and the vehicle had to be broken open to pull out the occupants, they said.

Locals carried out the initial rescue operations and thereafter, police and fire force personnel arrived and took over, they said.

Sudhakaran and his family were returning after dropping off his son at the hostel of the institution where he was admitted in a CA course.

The drivers of both lorries involved in the accident have been taken into custody, police said.