Kerala: Four killed as car collides with pickup van in Vadakara

The accident occurred on Sunday evening. Another person who sustained serious injuries in the crash has been admitted to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.

According to Vadakara police, the accident occurred when the car was exiting a fuel pump and collided directly with a pickup van coming from the opposite direction. The impact of the collision was severe, and local residents, along with the police, had to break open the vehicle to rescue the occupants trapped inside.

The deceased have been identified as Roja (35), wife of Prabhakaran and a resident of Punnol in Mahe; Jayavalli, wife of Raveendran; Ranji from Parammal; and Higginlal, also a native of Mahe. All four were travelling together in the ill-fated car.

Police said the bodies were retrieved with the help of locals and emergency personnel and were later shifted to the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. The lone survivor is undergoing intensive medical treatment and is said to be in critical condition.

The stretch of road where the accident took place has witnessed several similar incidents in the past, raising concerns over traffic safety and visibility, especially near fuel stations and intersections. Police have launched an investigation to determine if negligence or speeding was a factor in the crash.

Eyewitnesses stated that the car appeared to be taking a sudden turn from the fuel station onto the main road, leaving little time for the pickup van driver to react. Authorities are also checking CCTV footage from the vicinity to ascertain the sequence of events.

The Vadakara police have registered a case, and further investigations are underway. The tragic incident has left the local community in shock, and road safety experts have once again called for stricter traffic regulations and better infrastructure near fuel pumps.