Police: 5 medical students killed as their car hits Kerala state bus

Five first-year MBBS students of the Government TD Medical College in Alappuzha were killed after the car in which they were travelling collided head-on with a KSRTC bus

Five first-year MBBS students of the Government TD Medical College in Alappuzha were killed after the car in which they were travelling collided head-on with a state transport bus (KSRTC) at Kalarcode in the district late Monday night, police said.

Locals gather near the wreckage of a car that collided with a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus on Monday night, in Alappuzha, Kerala, Tuesday (PTI)

Police said that the incident likely took place at around 9:30 pm near the Changanassery junction on the National Highway when the Chevrolet Tavera, carrying 10 passengers and the driver, suddenly swerved to the right and collided with the KSRTC fast passenger bus going from Guruvayur to Kayamkulam. It was raining at the time of the accident.

Alappuzha Regional Transport Officer (RTO) AK Dilu said the car in which the students were travelling was overloaded and cited factors such as rain and absence of an ABS system in the accident.

“The car was a 14-year-old rental vehicle which lacked an anti-brake system (ABS). Instead of a maximum of eight people, 11 people were in the vehicle. So the fact that it was overloaded coupled with the rainy weather, age of the vehicle and poor visibility are seen to have led to the accident,” he said.

While five passengers in the car, all MBBS students, were declared dead at the Govt Medical College Hospital, six others continue to be under treatment.

The deceased were identified as Devananthan B (19) from Kottakkal in Malappuram, Sreedev Valsan (19) from Sekharipuram in Palakkad, Ayush Shaji (19) from Chennad in Kottayam, PP Mohammed Ibrahim (19) from Androth Dweep in Lakshadweep and Mohammed Abdul Jabbar (19) from Pandyala in Kannur.

Their mortal remains were kept at their college in Vandanam where their batchmates, friends and teachers paid respects. Ministers like Veena George, Saji Cheriyan and P Prasad also reached the college to pay their tributes. By noon, the remains sent in separate ambulances to the homes of the deceased in different districts. The remains of the Lakshadweep student were interred in Kochi.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan called the incident extremely saddening and paid his condolences to the families of the victims. “I join the families of the victims in this hour of grief,” he said in a statement.