T’puram: A 22-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman were killed after a truck carrying rocks overturned onto a bike and a car at Kunnathunada near Pirappancode on Thursday afternoon.The victims were identified as Adithyan of Vembayam and Julie Ignatius of Kattakada. Adithyan was riding the bike, while Julie was travelling pillion. The impact was so severe that the bike was completely crushed under the overturned truck. According to preliminary findings, the truck was travelling from Nagarukuzhi towards Pirappancode when it collided with the bike coming from the opposite direction. The driver reportedly swerved following the impact, causing the vehicle to topple and its load to fall onto the car that was passing by. The truck driver fled the scene immediately after the accident. Adithyan died on the spot. Julie, a second-year BA Economics student of Mar Ivanios College, Nalanchira, and a national-level kabaddi player, was rushed to the MCH but succumbed to her injuries.The car occupants, Rashid and Yasir from Palakkad, sustained minor injuries. They were returning after purchasing the vehicle. Fire and rescue personnel, along with the police, took nearly one-and-a-half hours to cut open the mangled car and pull them out of the wreckage. They were later shifted to MCH. Venjaramoodu police have booked the truck driver under various BNS sections.
