Seven engineering students among eight killed in Idukki

IDUKKI: Seven engineering students and an elderly man were killed and several others injured when the bus they were travelling in rolled 150 feet down a hillside in Idukki..

The students of the Sarabhai Institute of Science and Technology, Vellanad here had got together and planned the trip.

The dead has been identified as Sreejesh of Thrikunnippuzha, Alappuzha, Vignesh of Jawahar Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram, Jithin of Nanthencode, Thiruvananthapuram, Sharatchandran of Ambalamedu, Shaiju of Kalamasseri, Manju of Kannur, Hemant and Raj Kumar of Kazhakoottam.

The principal of the college said the college authorities were not involved in it, and were yet to ascertain the identities of the students who were killed in the accident.

Meantime, the director of the college Kaimal said the students went for the trip without their consent. They were given 10 days study leave for the exams starting on April 1st.  

One of the killed engineering students was a girl. The elderly man was part of the bus crew. The incident occurred about 170 km from the state capital.

There were 41 students of the final year batch at the college on the trip. They included 13 girls.

Eyewitnesses said the bus was coming from Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, and driving towards Munnar when it skidded off the road and rolled downhill.

The condition of two of the injured is said to be serious.

Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said the medical expenses for all those injured would be borne by the government.

"Right now, our aim is to see that the injured get the best treatment and authorities are ensuring that," Radhakrishnan said.

Health Minister V S Sivakumar has left to visit the accident site. The government will bear the medical expenses of the injured. Decision on giving compensation will be taken later.

A control room has been opened in Adimali following the accident. Number 04864 222145, 949799005