Postmortem procedures of the nine Malayalis who died in the road accident at Valparai in Tamil Nadu have been completed, and the bodies have been shifted to their hometowns. The procedures began after midnight at the Pollachi Taluk Hospital once relatives arrived, and were completed around 3.45 am.

Following the postmortem, religious rites were conducted at a nearby mosque. The bodies are being transported to Malappuram in nine ambulances under police escort from Palakkad. The ambulances started from Pollachi shortly after 6 am. On arrival, the bodies will be kept for public viewing for an hour at Pangu Higher Secondary School.

The accident
The accident occurred on Friday evening when a tempo traveller lost control at hairpin bend 13 on the Valparai route, broke through a protective wall, and plunged to a lower bend. Nine people, including seven women and a child, were killed. The group was returning from a leisure trip when the mishap occurred.

Among the deceased is Ajitha (54), headmistress of Parammal ALP School and a native of Pulamanthole. Others who died in the accident include Ramla (52), Suhara (43), Asha (41), and Majeed (43), all teachers and natives of Pang; Sajitha (45), a member of the school’s cooking staff; Naushad (39), the school bus driver and Shakeena (37), a teacher at GUP School Pang, and Rukhiya (39), the wife of Majeed.

Those injured include Hisham (12), son of Suhara; Shahadin, child of Sajitha; Masneen (10), and Mohammed Fahis, the traveller driver. Three people, including a child, sustained serious injuries and are undergoing treatment at Coimbatore Medical College Hospital. Another injured child, 11-year-old Masneen, daughter of Shakeena, has been shifted from Pollachi Taluk Hospital to a hospital in Perinthalmanna.

The vehicle involved in the accident, bearing registration KL 11 AM 7288 and owned by a Malappuram native, was driven by 21-year-old Mohammed Fasith, a native of Chunoor near Kottakkal. Four people, including the driver, are currently under treatment.

The group had travelled to Valparai via Athirappilly, Vazhachal, and Malakkappara. Rescue operations were launched immediately after the accident by local residents, police, and fire and rescue personnel.