Kalpetta: A family, including a child, had a miraculous escape after a huge tree fell on their moving car on the Thamarassery Ghat Road in Wayanad early on Thursday morning.

The incident occurred at around 6.00 am between the sixth and seventh hairpin bends of the ghat road. The impact of the falling tree partially crushed the car, but all the occupants escaped with only minor injuries, according to volunteers of the Churam Samrakshana Samithy, who rushed to the spot.

The injured family was shifted to Adivaram in another vehicle and underwent medical examination at a private clinic. They were travelling from Wayanad towards Kozhikode when the accident occurred. Personnel from the Fire and Rescue Services, Thamarassery, led the rescue and road-clearing operations with the assistance of volunteers from the Churam Samrakshana Samithy and passengers. The tree was cut and removed from the road, allowing traffic to resume.

The incident brought traffic on the busy Kozhikode-Bengaluru National Highway route to a standstill for nearly two hours, with long queues of vehicles forming on both sides of the ghat road. However, traffic volume was comparatively low as the district was under a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall. Authorities had also issued advisories urging people to avoid unnecessary travel through the ghat section due to the heightened risk of landslides and falling trees during the monsoon.

Normal traffic was restored by around 8.00 am after the road was cleared. Authorities have once again appealed to motorists to exercise extreme caution while travelling through the ghat road during periods of intense rainfall.