Kannur, 17 Oct (H.S.): A 47-year-old Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) sub-engineer died after an oxygen cylinder fell from a moving mini-lorry and struck him while he was riding his motorcycle on the national highway at Pappinisseri in Kannur district on Friday night.

The deceased was identified as Sreejith, a resident of Chirakkal, near the Puzhathi Someshwari temple. He was returning home after completing work at Dharmasala when the accident occurred at Pappinisseri Chungam around 9.30 p.m.

Sreejith sustained critical injuries after the heavy cylinder came loose from the lorry and fell onto the road, hitting him during his journey home. Local residents and police personnel rushed to his assistance and took him to a private hospital in Kannur. However, he succumbed to his injuries despite efforts to save him.

Valapattanam police subsequently intercepted and took custody of the mini-lorry involved in the accident. The vehicle had been transporting oxygen cylinders along the national highway when one of them fell off.

The circumstances in which the cylinder became dislodged were not immediately clear. Allegations have emerged that the lorry was carrying the heavy cylinders without adequate safety arrangements to prevent them from shifting or falling during transit.

The allegation has brought the manner in which the cylinders were loaded and secured into focus. Whether the load had been properly fastened will be a key question in establishing how the fatal accident occurred.

Sreejith, who worked as a sub-engineer with KSEB, had finished his duties and was heading back to his residence when his routine commute ended in tragedy.

The incident has raised concerns over the danger posed to other road users when heavy cargo falls from moving vehicles. In this case, a cylinder falling from the mini-lorry proved fatal for a motorcyclist travelling home along the same stretch of highway after his working day.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman