Palakkad, 11 Nov (H.S.):

Two men were killed and three others injured, two of them critically, when a car went out of control and crashed into a culvert before hitting a tree at Manissery on the Palakkad–Kulappully road shortly after midnight on Wednesday.

The deceased were identified as Vaishakh and Vasu, residents of South Panamanna. The injured—Nithin, Govind and Sreejith—are from Panamanna and Kanniyampuram. All three are undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Vaniamkulam.

The accident occurred around 12.30 a.m. while the five men were travelling in a car coming from the Vaniamkulam side. According to preliminary information, Vaishakh was driving the vehicle.

The car was reportedly travelling at high speed when the driver lost control near Manissery. It first struck a roadside culvert and then rammed into a tree, leaving the vehicle extensively damaged and its occupants trapped inside.

Fire and Rescue Services personnel from Shoranur reached the spot and cut through the wreckage to extricate all five occupants. The severely damaged condition of the car necessitated the use of cutting equipment during the rescue operation.

Three of the occupants survived with injuries and were taken to the private hospital in Vaniamkulam for treatment. The condition of two of them was reported to be extremely serious. Further details about their injuries were not immediately available.

While preliminary accounts suggested that the car had been speeding before the collision, the precise circumstances in which the driver lost control remained unclear. The cause of the accident has yet to be established.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman