Palakkad: Ajna Sherin, an eighth-standard student, is still trembling from the shock of Thursday's accident at Panayampadam near Kalladikode, in this North Kerala district, which claimed the lives of her four friends. She miraculously escaped, but the memories continue to haunt her. Ajna recounted that she and her four friends --Irfana, Ayesha, Rida Fathima and Nida Fathima -- were on their way home after their school examinations when the accident took place.
A truck carrying cement overturned after being hit by another speeding truck, trapping her four friends underneath, she recalled. Ajna survived because she fell into a ditch. Ajna’s voice was heavy with sorrow while speaking to a television news channel. She recalled Irfana’s mother witnessing the accident. The mother, who had been on her way back from a dentist visit, had seen the children walking together just moments before disaster struck.
After the truck hit the children, she rushed to help Ajna, who had fallen into a ditch. Local residents soon joined in, assisting Ajna and informing her family. "I was slightly behind the others and narrowly escaped because I fell into the ditch when the accident happened," Anjana said and added that she later sought refuge in a nearby house. The accident that claimed the lives of the schoolgirls took place at around 4.30 pm on Thursday when a cement-laden truck overturned at Panayampadam near Kallidikode on the Palakkad-Kozhikode stretch of National Highway 966.
All four were students of class 8 of Karimba Girls Higher Secondary School. The CCTV footage showing the four girls walking along the road just moments before the accident continues to haunt the minds of locals, relatives, and friends. They remain in a state of disbelief, struggling to come to terms with the children's untimely deaths. The bodies of the deceased, kept at the Palakkad District Hospital mortuary, were handed over to their families by 6 am on Friday.
Heart-wrenching scenes unfolded as the bodies were brought to their homes and later to Karimpanakkal Hall in Thuppanad at 8.30 am, where the public gathered to pay their last respects. Teachers, students and classmates at the Karimba GHSS broke down in tears. Ayesha, daughter of Sharafudheen, had been a bride for the school team in the Oppana competition at the sub-district school youth festival, where she had earned an A grade, according to her classmates.
She was also preparing to be the bride in the cultural programme to be held as part of the school building's inauguration on December 21. Irfana, another victim, was the eldest of three children born to Sherin Abdul Salam, who runs a flour mill. Rida Fatima, the eldest daughter of Rafeeq, an auto driver, was one of three siblings, including a boy and a girl.
Nida Fatima was the daughter of Abdul Salim, an expatriate who had recently returned to his native place. Her family is now left devastated, having lost their only daughter out of two children, according to the residents. The funeral of all four children was held together at the Thuppanad Mosque here. The locals staged a protest on Thursday, alleging that the area has long been a hotspot for accidents and the authorities' continuing apathy despite numerous complaints.
According to residents, Panayampadam, located in Karimba panchayat, Palakkad, is a frequent site of accidents. So far, 55 accidents have occurred in the area, resulting in seven fatalities and 65 injuries. This issue was raised by Kongad MLA K Shanthakumari during calling attention in the Assembly in 2022.
Meanwhile, the police on Friday registered a case against the driver of the truck that collided with the cement-laden truck, causing it to overturn and crush the school students. The driver has been charged with overspeeding and reckless driving. The police and the Motor Vehicles Department (MVD) have launched an inquiry into the incident.
