KOCHI: Five persons are missing after a Mahindra pickup plunged into
Kaithapuzha Lake
on Kumbalam-Aroor bridge following an accident on Wednesday evening. Around 6.30 pm, the pickup with nine persons, on being hit from behind by a lorry on NH 66 ran over the iron railings and toppled into the water.
Local residents however said the pickup was trying to overtake a lorry through the left side when the accident happened. “The vehicle hit the lorry on the left side and tumbled into the lake,“ said an eyewitness.
Eight of those in the vehicle hail from Nepal. Four men were rescued by local fishermen. The vehicle was traced by the rescue team in the backwaters at around 10.55 pm. Police said there were still no signs of the missing persons who have been identified as Himalal, Shyam, Gaman and Madhu -all Nepalis -and the driver of the vehicle Ijas, a resident of Panavalli in Alappuzha.
The workers were part of a decoration team hired by
Hotel Bolgatty Palace
in the city and were returning to their rented accommodation at Panavalli. “The truck hit us abruptly from behind. Our vehicle spun after getting hit from behind to collide head on with the handrail. The pickup then tumbled into the water,“ said Ramu, one of the survivors being treated at a private hospital in Aroor. Fisherman
Vasu PK
(65), who lives on the banks of Kaithapuzha, was relaxing at home when he heard the screech of a vehicle from the
Aroor-Kumbalam Bridge
, barely 100m away . He rushed out and saw a vehicle falling off the bridge into the backwaters. Vasu and his nephew Prajeesh PR (30) set out in a country boat to rescue the lot.
“The undercurrent was so strong that it was difficult to row. When we reached the bridge, we saw two men swimming. I controlled the boat while Prajeesh pulled them inside,“ he said. Vasu and Prajeesh searched for the vehicle and took the boat towards the railway bridge. However, there was no sign of the vehi cle.
Prajeesh said that the two men swam towards the boat and were pulled inside the boat. “All of them were ex hausted. They were good swimmers and could float themselves in the waters for at least 20 minutes,“ said Prajeesh.
Problems galore:
The Aroor Bridge, inaugurated in 1981, was closed to traffic after potholes infested the road following which the entire stretch was re-tarred. “The bridge repetitively underwent wearing coat touch-ups, re-tarring and pothole filling. As a result, non-mountable curb, which is the primary preventive measure against vehicles tripping over, might have lessened.This could have caused the accident,“ said Hashim P A, Nodal Officer, Projects.