Three joggers killed in early morning mishap

  Kayamkulam woke up to a shocking tragedy this morning when three young lives were snuffed out by an unknown vehicle near Maliyekal Junction on the National Highway-47.

According to the Kayamkulam police, Anup, 18, his brother Achu, 15, both sons of Ashok Kumar of Chaithram, Pathiyurkala, and Pramod, 16, son of Prem Kumar, were jogging alongside the NH-47 near Maliyekal Junction when the accident occurred. The vehicle that ran over them is yet to be identified and it was a passerby on a two-wheeler who alerted the police around 5.45 a.m. on Wednesday.

While both Achu and Pramod were killed on the spot, Anup died while being rushed to the Alappuzha Medical College. The bodies of Achu and Pramod are at the Haripad Government Hospital while that of Anup is at the Alappuzha Medical College for post-mortem.

Kayamkulam Circle Inspector A.R. Shanihal, who said the police was trying its best to identify the killer vehicle, said the bodies would be handed over to relatives by evening, but the funerals of Achu and Anup were likely to be held later only, since their father was on his way from Dubai.

Pedestrian killed in hit and run

  A pedestrian was killed on Sunday as he was hit by a speeding vehicle while crossing the road near Tharmekavu temple, Vaikom Road, Tripunithura.

The victim, Narayanan Kutty, 52, a goldsmith died on the spot.

He was the son of Goplan Achary of Cherukotayil House, Mulanthuruthy, Karikode. The body was handed over to his wife Saraswathy and relatives, after the post-mortem at the Taluk hospital, Tripunithra. The police held the driver of the vehicle Xylo that caused the accident and confiscated it from near Kalamassery after the Tripunithura traffic police gave an alert about hit and run case.

Salem: 7 Ayyappa devotees killed in accident

Seven Sabarimala pilgrims were killed and 15 injured when the van in which they were travelling collided with a bus near Salem on Monday. The van from Andhra Pradesh was carrying nine Ayyappa devotees on their way to the Sabarimala hill shrine in Kerala when the mishap occurred at 1.40 am, Salem Collector Magarabhusan and Superintendent of Police PR Muthuswamy said.

All the deceased were from Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.

The injured comprised drivers of both vehicles, a devotee and 12 bus passengers who have been hospitalised.

The private bus was on its way to Dharmapuri.