Kochi: Two young men from Thrissur were killed in a motorcycle accident near the Athani traffic signal junction at Nedumbassery in Kochi on Wednesday morning, just hours after celebrating one of their birthdays with friends, police said.

According to Nedumbassery police, the deceased have been identified as Gokul, who was riding the motorcycle, and Ashwin, who was travelling pillion. Both were around 23 years old and employed at a fabrication unit in Karimalloor, near Aluva, according to the Nedumbassery police.

The police said the tragedy occurred after a group of friends gathered on Tuesday night to celebrate Gokul's birthday. The celebrations reportedly continued into the early hours of Wednesday.

“We suspect that the youths might have consumed alcohol during the party, and it may have contributed to the accident, although this is yet to be confirmed through the ongoing investigation,” police sources said.

The accident took place at around 7:15 am while the duo were travelling towards the Athani traffic signal junction from the Aluva side on a motorcycle. Their friends were reportedly travelling ahead on another motorcycle.

The police said the group had earlier ridden from the Athani traffic signal junction towards Aluva. However, investigators are still trying to determine why and when Gokul and Ashwin took a U-turn back towards the junction.

According to eyewitnesses, the motorcycle was being ridden at an extremely high speed when the accident occurred on a slightly curved stretch of road. While attempting to overtake a vehicle, Gokul allegedly lost control of the motorcycle as he tried to manoeuvre past another vehicle immediately afterwards.

The police said the motorcycle brushed against the right-side median and scraped along the concrete barrier for nearly 100 metres before crashing into a post adjacent to the median.

Confirming the severity of the crash, a police officer attached to the Nedumbassery police station told Onmanorama that both victims sustained critical head injuries.

“It was a major accident. The motorcycle scraped along the median for about 100 metres before hitting a post, and the vehicle went another 50 metres forward before overturning,” the officer said, adding that both youths suffered severe head injuries.

“Gokul was completely unconscious after the crash, and we suspect he died at the spot itself. He was taken to Aluva Taluk Hospital. Ashwin, who was severely injured but was semi-conscious, was rushed towards a private hospital by local residents. However, he succumbed to his injuries while being transported to the hospital. Doctors declared both of them were brought dead,” the officer added.

The police said it is yet to be verified whether the victims were wearing helmets at the time of the accident. A case has been registered.

The bodies have been shifted to the mortuary and will be released to the families after the postmortem.