Thrissur, September 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Eight engineering students from Dindigul in Tamil Nadu were killed in a road accident on National Highway 66 at Kaipamangalam in Kerala’s Thrissur district, with their college saying the students had undertaken the trip without informing the institution.
College officials said they learnt about the accident and the deaths only after Kerala Police contacted them early Saturday morning. As the institution was closed for a holiday, the students are believed to have planned the trip privately.
One of the deceased, identified as Santhosh, was staying at the college hostel but had gone home before joining the journey. College representatives and relatives of the victims have travelled to Thrissur following the accident.
The students were travelling in a car that crashed into a stationary truck on NH66 around midnight. Five occupants reportedly died at the spot, while the remaining three succumbed to their injuries later. The bodies were taken to Thrissur Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examinations before being handed over to their families.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said the car was travelling at excessive speed when the crash occurred. It maintained that adequate warning signs and safety arrangements had been provided along the highway and assured cooperation with the investigation.
Local residents, however, questioned safety conditions on the stretch, particularly the parking of heavy vehicles. They alleged that three trucks had been illegally parked on the road when the accident occurred and claimed that drivers of two of them subsequently left with their vehicles.
Residents also cited inadequate lighting, lack of speed breakers and the positioning of direction boards as potential safety concerns. They said vehicles entering the highway from service roads frequently travel at high speed, while trucks parked along the carriageway create an additional hazard at night.
The Kaipamangalam stretch has witnessed serious accidents in the past. Actor and mimicry artiste Kollam Sudhi was also killed in a road accident in the area.
Minister O.J. Janeesh Kumar said allegations concerning negligent parking of the truck would be investigated. He also criticised the NHAI over safety arrangements during highway construction, saying authorities had previously been directed to ensure adequate warnings and safeguards.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the crash.
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