Pathanamthitta native Shakeena was woken by a thunderous sound in the early hours of Sunday, a noise she initially assumed was yet another accident on the busy Kayamkulam-Punalur road outside her house. But this time, the tragedy struck much closer, claiming the life of her longtime friend and neighbour, Mariyam Beevi, 65.

Beevi was killed after a Taurus truck carrying crushed stones lost control at Purakkode in Adoor around 2.30 am and crashed on top of her small two-room house while she was asleep inside.

For Shakeena, 54, the incident revived haunting memories. Accidents were not uncommon along the sharp curve near their homes, and Beevi herself had narrowly escaped a similar mishap nearly a decade ago when a tanker lorry crashed into part of her house around 1 am. “Back then, she and her husband Jaleel survived with only a portion of the house damaged. But she didn’t survive this time,” Shakeena said, struggling to hold back tears.

Both women had lived alone in neighbouring houses for years and earned a living by running small roadside stalls adjacent to their houses, selling snacks, soft drinks and stationery items. Their friendship, according to Shakeena, stretched back more than 35 years.

The accident occurred just hours after Beevi’s younger daughter, Shelni, had visited her mother. After spending nearly two hours with her, Shelni returned to her home in Kottarakkara around 9.30 pm on Saturday.

“I saw Itha for the last time around 10.30 pm. She was outside the house, and when I asked why she hadn’t slept yet, she said she was about to go to bed,” Shakeena recalled.

Shakeena said she had her sister for company that night due to health issues following a heart attack and surgery. When the loud crash was heard, the sisters stepped outside and saw the truck overturned onto Beevi’s house, with crushed stones spilling over the collapsed front wall.

“It was terrifying. At first, I felt the truck had completely fallen into the house. Neighbours rushed there, and we realised that Itha was trapped inside,” she said. A portion of the cement-brick house was completely destroyed, including parts of the asbestos-sheet roof. Fire Force personnel from Adoor pulled Beevi out from the debris around 3.15 am. Officials said she was found still lying on her cot in a sleeping position. Though she was rushed to the Government Hospital in Adoor, doctors declared her brought dead.

“She lost her life there itself. I know. I stepped away when they took her out. I didn’t want to see her like that,” Shakeena said.

Recalling their bond, Shakeena said Beevi’s family had moved next to her house decades ago and had rebuilt the house after the earlier tanker accident. Following the deaths of Jaleel and Shakeena's mother, the two women grew even closer. “Whenever she came outside, she would look for me. If she couldn’t see me, she would call to check whether I was home,” she said.

According to Shakeena, Beevi suffered only minor health issues related to diabetes and was regularly cared for by her daughters, Shelni and her elder daughter, Shelvi, who frequently visited and accompanied her to hospitals. “She was kind, genuine and loving. Since both of us lived alone in our old age, we shared a special bond. Now I have lost that too,” she said.

Beevi’s postmortem was conducted at the Konni Medical College Hospital, and the body was later released to her family. The Adoor Police have registered a case against the truck driver under Sections 281 (rash or negligent driving) and 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and launched an investigation. Officials said the driver also sustained injuries, including a fracture.