Two killed in truck–tempo traveller collision, 13 injured in Wayanad

Wayanad: Two people were killed and several others injured when a tempo traveller carrying a group of students collided with a truck at Beenachi near Sulthan Bathery in Wayanad in the early hours of Monday.

The victims were Renjith, 40, the driver of the tempo traveller and a native of Karnataka, and Bharath, a native of Mysuru. The accident occurred around 1.45 am, police said, adding that the tempo traveller was hired by students of Mandya University in Karnataka, who were returning to Mysuru after a leisure trip to Munnar. There were 15 people in the vehicle, including 13 students, a cook and the driver.

Following the collision, the tempo traveller veered off the road, plunged into a crevice and overturned, trapping its occupants inside. The impact of the crash jammed the vehicle's doors, making it difficult for the passengers to escape.

Local residents rushed to the spot and joined Fire and Rescue Services personnel in the rescue operation. As the passengers remained trapped inside the mangled vehicle, rescuers had to use gas cutters to cut through and pull them out.

The injured were initially taken to a private hospital in Sulthan Bathery while two of them with serious injuries were later shifted to a private medical college hospital in Meppadi for further treatment. However, none of the injured was in a critical condition, police said.

The bodies have been kept in the mortuary at Sulthan Bathery and will be handed over to relatives after autopsy.