Four school students lost their lives after a cement-laden lorry crashed into a group of children near the national highway at Kalladikode in Kerala’s Palakkad on Thursday. Several children who sustained injuries in the incident were rushed to nearby hospitals.

The tragic incident occurred around 4 pm on Thursday when the students were on their way to the bus stop from Karimba Higher Secondary School. The victim Class 8 students, identified as Irfan, Mithu, Rida, and Aysha, were returning home after their examination.

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Eyewitnesses reported that the cement-laden lorry lost control and rammed into the group, leaving some students trapped. The lorry then overturned into a roadside ditch. According to local residents, the lorry lost control after colliding with another vehicle. It then overturned onto the group of students walking to the bus stop to return home. Three girls died on the spot, while one, who was critically injured, succumbed to her injuries at the hospital.

Local residents have long expressed concerns about the area being prone to accidents. They complained that the Panayampadam stretch of the Palakkad-Kozhikode National Highway is a regular accident hotspot. Following the incident, locals staged protests by sitting on the spot, demanding a permanent solution to the recurring accidents. Though Palakkad MLA Rahul Mangkootathil visited the spot and spoke to the protesters, they refused to end the protest.