Nine students have a miraculous escape

Nine students of Kendriya Vidyalaya had a miraculous escape when the autorickshaw in which they were travelling crashed into Perandoor Canal, near Pullepady, on Friday.

The students returning home after school escaped without injuries as the locals sprung into timely action. All the nine were students of Kendriya Vidyalaya, Kadavanthra, and hail from Pullepady.

The students have been identified as Athira Raj of Class VII, Joythi Lakshman of Class II, Abhinav of Class III, Sreehari B Nair of Class I, Karthika of Class V, Arathi Raj of Class V, Gouri Paravathy of Class III, Nandhana Kannan Das of Class I and Fineshya Benny of Class III.

The autodriver, Sandeep, hailing from Kadavanthra, has been arrested. “The incident occurred around 3 pm when the autorickshaw coming from Kadavanthra was turning right to Kaloor after crossing the bridge over the Perandoor canal at Pullepady.

There was a steep descent after crossing the canal when the auto driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into the canal.

The low water level and sudden rescue operations by the local people helped the students escape without any major injuries,” Baby Vinod, Assistance Commissioner, Traffic police said. The residents of the area and traffic warden on duty rushed to the spot and pulled out the students from the vehicle.

Soon, the police along with Fire and Rescue team reached the spot and rushed the students to a private hospital nearby. The doctors said that students are safe and would be discharged by night.

On quizing, the auto driver told the police that he normally transports students in a mini van. But on Friday as there were minor complaints in his van he decided to carry the students in the autorickshaw. Sandeep said that he lost control when he attempted to evade hitting a bike coming from the other side.

The police have registered a case for reckless driving and for carrying students more than prescribed limits. The police have also decided to honour home guard Srinivasan who jumped into the murky water and rescued the children.  Baby Vinod told ‘City Express’ that the reward for Srinivasan will be announced soon.