When repeated calls from Israel to his wife went unanswered on the morning of March 3, Kannur native P Rajesh began to panic. Working in Tel Aviv, Rajesh had already been anxious as the escalating Iran–Israel conflict forced a temporary halt to work, closed airspace and disrupted travel. But missing his usual morning call with his wife, Rijisha, left him deeply unsettled.

Soon, a call from a friend in Kerala confirmed his worst fears. Rijisha and their two younger daughters — Ilana, an LKG student, and Suryathara, a Class 4 student — had met with an accident while she was taking them to school on her scooter.

The accident happened around 9.45 am near Naduvanad town. With no way to return home as flights remained suspended, Rajesh could only stay on the phone from Israel, calling friends and relatives repeatedly and urging them to ensure his family received all possible treatments.

For a brief moment, there was relief. Rijisha and Suryathara suffered only minor injuries and were discharged within two days. But tragedy struck early on March 9 when five-year-old Ilana, who had been on ventilator support, was declared brain-dead.

“I had spoken to my children the night before the accident,” Rajesh said. “Even though the situation here is tense, I always tell them not to worry and that I am safe. Because of the time difference, we rarely speak in the mornings. But once Rijisha reaches the anganwadi where she works, she usually calls me. That day, the call never came.”

For Rajesh, a native of Thalachangad in Thillankeri, returning home immediately is not easy. Airspace restrictions remain one obstacle. Financial constraints are another.

Only ten months ago, Rajesh had travelled to Israel for a fabrication-related job after mounting debts made it difficult to sustain his livelihood back home. Friends and neighbours in his village had pooled money to help him meet travel, visa and documentation expenses of over ₹10 lakh. Since then, he has been working overtime to repay the loans and support his family.

Rajesh and Rijisha have three daughters — Shivaganga, a Class 6 student; Suryathara, and Ilana.

On the day of the accident, Shivaganga had already left for school by bus. Rijisha then took the younger two on her scooter to Naduvanad LP School. According to CCTV footage, the scooter slightly brushed an autorickshaw coming from the opposite direction while attempting to enter a side road. The impact threw all three onto the road. The children were not wearing helmets, and Ilana suffered a serious head injury.

Locals rushed them to a private hospital in Mattannur. Ilana was later shifted to another hospital in Kannur and then taken to Mangaluru when her condition worsened. However, the required neurospecialist was not available there. She was brought back the same night to the Government Medical College Hospital in Pariyaram, where she was placed on ventilator support.

“It was friends and neighbours who stood by the family and handled most of the hospital arrangements. Rajesh’s brother Rajish remained with the family at the hospital,” said Rajesh’s friend Gangadharan. “Rijisha and Suryathara were discharged on the second day, but we stayed in the hospital with Ilana since then.” Medical expenses were largely met through contributions from friends and neighbours, with Rajish managing part of the costs.

Gangadharan said they were careful when updating Rajesh about the developments. “We explained things slowly so that he would not panic. He kept calling constantly, asking about their condition. Later, the doctors themselves spoke to him directly about Ilana’s situation,” he said.

Gangadharan also recalled that he had dropped Ilana at school just a day before the accident. “The family has been struggling with debts for years. Rajesh used to do fabrication work here in the village, but could not sustain it and ended up in financial trouble. The job in Israel was his only hope,” he said. The friends are also worried about Rajesh returning immediately. “We borrowed money to send him there. If he comes back now, the debts will remain unpaid,” Gangadharan said.

According to him, Rajesh even spoke about organ donation when he learned that Ilana had been declared brain-dead. “But her internal organs had also been severely damaged, so it could not be pursued. Even then, he said he wished some other child could have benefited,” Gangadharan said. Following Rajesh’s request, Ilana was buried the same day at his ancestral home nearby.

However, Rajesh now hopes to return to Kerala once flight operations resume. “My company has allowed me to travel back as soon as flights restart,” he said. “Since I am in the capital, the situation here is relatively stable, but security alarms are frequent, and we move to bunkers for safety.” He has also registered on government portals seeking assistance and is waiting for updates.

Back home, Rijisha temporarily works at an anganwadi and also runs a small daycare centre nearby, which is currently managed by staff members.