Kottayam: In a freak accident, a fully loaded truck slipped off the road and sank into an adjacent rock quarry pond at Mariyappally, near Kottayam town, on Friday night.

The incident took place around 9 pm and Fire and Rescue personnel located the vehicle by 12.30 am on Saturday. However, their efforts to lift the truck out of the pond with a crane and trace the driver, Aji Kumar (48) of Thiruvananthapuram, failed.

ADVERTISEMENT

The lorry was carrying urea, FACTAMFOS and potash from Kozhuvathara Agency, a fertilizer depot at Mariyappally, to Cheppad in Alappuzha. Except Aji Kumar, no other person, was reportedly onboard.

How the vehicle fell

ADVERTISEMENT

While negotiating a curve on the road, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and it crashed through the barrier on the side. The adjacent quarry pond was situated 60 feet below the road and the lorry fell into it. Hearing the sound, local people informed the authorities and personnel from Chingavanam police station and Fire and Rescue Services reached the spot.

Meanwhile, the owner of the fertilizer agency M R Rajendra Kurup said that the driver Aji Kumar was unwell when he arrived to load the goods at 5 pm on Friday.

ADVERTISEMENT

The authorities said on Saturday morning that they were continuing the search for the driver.

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Onmanorama. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.