Two people died and six sustained serious injuries after a car and an ambulance collided head-on at Kanipayyur near Kunnamkulam here on Sunday. Kunnamkulam police said that one passenger in the car and a patient in the ambulance succumbed to injuries. The ambulance of a private hospital in Ernakulam was headed to Kannur. The patient in the ambulance was discharged from the hospital and was being transported to Kannur. 

CCTV visuals showed the car overtaking an autorickshaw and ramming into the ambulance. The ambulance overturned under the impact of the collision. The injured passengers were rushed to private hospitals in Thrissur and Kunnamkulam. The deceased were identified as Pushpa, 59, a resident of Kunnamkulam and Kunjiraman, 87, a native of Kannur. Pushpa's husband Anto has been put on ventilator. His condition is reported to be critical. 

The car was badly mangled following the collision. The accident happened at 1.30 pm near a church. Kunjiraman was brought dead and his body is kept at a hospital in Kunnamkulam. The injured persons are Aneesh (driver), Vipin (nurse), Chandran, Shaju and Vinod. 

Kunnamkulam fire force station personnel rushed to the spot and initiated rescue operations along with residents. The batteries of both vehicles were disconnected, and the ambulance was lifted and shifted to the side of the road to avoid traffic snarls on the busy stretch. The fuel tank of the car burst in the crash, and oil spilt all over the road. Fire force officials washed off the oil with a jet spray. District Fire Officer Suvi MS, Station Officer Vijayakrishna, Assistant Station Officer Benny Mathew were part of the team.