Kollam: Three people, including a child, died and several others injured after a tipper lorry carrying sand lost control and tipped onto a waiting shed at Mukkonimukku in Neeleswaram on Tuesday morning, around 7.15 am. Officials said the identities of the victims are yet to be ascertained as the bodies were covered in sand and some were badly mangled.

Fire force units from Kundara and Kottarakkara, along with police, are carrying out rescue operations at the spot. According to Kottarakkara fire personnel, the lorry was speeding and crashed into a bus while attempting to overtake a bike. The sand load then fell onto the bus stand, trapping people underneath. The bullet rider involved in the incident is currently missing.

Residents said around 12 people were waiting at the bus stand at the time, including school and college students as well as office-goers. Residents said that initially two people were pulled out from under the sand, and as rescue continued, the number rose to five, all of whom were rushed to nearby hospitals. Three of the five died on the way, they said.

Residents added that the death toll is likely to rise further. Several others, including children and adults, are injured, some critically and some with minor injuries. They also said that hands and other body parts were recovered from the site, and identities remain unconfirmed. The crash also caused a shop wall and an electricity pole to collapse in the area.

Officials said several people, including children who noticed the sand about to fall, ran away and narrowly escaped the accident.

Minister Bindu Krishna described the incident as a “truly tragic”. She said the injured have been shifted to nearby taluk and private hospitals, as well as medical college hospitals for treatment, the minister said.