9 tourists from Kerala, including 6 school teachers, die in accident on valparai ghat road

COIMBATORE: Nine tourists from Kerala, including six schoolteachers, died and four others suffered serious injuries after the van they were travelling in veered off the Valparai-Pollachi Ghat Road and plunged several hundred feet into a steep gorge on Friday evening.The deceased, including five teachers of Government LP School at Palliparambu, Pang, in Malappuram district, have been identified as Ajitha, 54, Ramla, 52, Suhara, 43, Asha, 41, Majeeth, 43, Sajitha, 45, Shakeela, 37, Ruqiya, 39, and Hisham, 12. Ajitha was the headteacher of the school while Ramla, Suhara, Asha and Majeed were teachers there. Rukiya was Majeed’s wife. Sajitha was a school cooking staff member while Hisham was Suhara’s son. Shakeela was a teacher at the Government Upper Primary School, Pang. The deceased, including five teachers of Government LP School at Palliparambu, Pang, in Malappuram district, have been identified as Ajitha, 54, Ramla, 52, Suhra, 43, Asha, 41, Majeeth, 43, Sajitha, 45, Shakeela, 37, Ruqiya, 39, and Hisham, 12. The accident took place at the 13th hairpin bend under the Kadamparai police station limits at around 5.15pm.The victims were part of a 13-member tourist group, including the driver, from Perinthalmanna in Malappuram district. They were returning from Valparai after a sightseeing trip. Preliminary reports said the driver of the van lost control of the vehicle while negotiating the sharp curve.The vehicle skidded off the road and tumbled through dense terrain before coming to rest near the level of the ninth hairpin bend. Nine passengers died on the spot.After receiving the alert, a police team led by the Valparai deputy superintendent of police and the Valparai inspector rushed to the scene and began rescue operations. Fire and rescue services personnel also joined the effort and worked to extricate the victims from the mangled vehicle.A police official said the difficult terrain made the rescue operation extremely challenging, but all survivors were rescued and rushed to hospital. The bodies of the deceased were sent for postmortem. The Kadamparai police registered a case and began an investigation.Coimbatore district collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar visited the accident spot and conducted an inspection. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences in a social media post, stating, “I was deeply saddened to learn of the accident that occurred in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. I extend my deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this accident. I pray that the injured recover swiftly.”