Thrissur, September 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News) — Eight engineering students from Tamil Nadu were killed after the car they were travelling in crashed into a stationary goods lorry on National Highway 66 at Kaipamangalam in Kerala’s Thrissur district around midnight on Friday.
The accident took place at Panambikkunnu Centre, where highway construction and widening work is underway. The Tamil Nadu-registered car, carrying all eight occupants, rammed into the rear of the parked lorry near a temporary diversion created as part of the ongoing roadworks.
The collision was so severe that the car was completely mangled, trapping the occupants inside. Local residents and rescue personnel rushed to the spot, and the damaged vehicle had to be cut open to retrieve the victims.
Seven students died at the scene, while another succumbed to injuries after being taken to hospital, police said.
The victims were students of P.S.M. Engineering College in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu. Five of those killed have been identified as Vishwa, 20, from Salem; Surya, 20, and Yuvasanjith, 20, from Dindigul; and Santhosh, 20, and Prasanna from Madurai. Authorities were working to establish the identities of the remaining three victims and contact their families.
The vehicle involved bore registration number TN 59 DW 8299.
Personnel from Kaipamangalam police station reached the site shortly after the accident and began an investigation. Police are examining the vehicles and collecting evidence to determine the exact sequence of events, including the circumstances in which the car collided with the parked lorry.
The presence and positioning of the stationary vehicle near the temporary diversion are also expected to be examined as part of the probe.
The accident comes amid extensive construction activity and traffic diversions along several stretches of NH-66 in Kerala.
FOLLOW NOW
