Overview
- A family car carrying five people veered off the Kuttikkanam–Kattappana state highway at Nalammile and plunged more than 60 feet into the Chinnar river near Elappara on Thursday morning after the driver lost control.
- Local residents and migrant workers rescued all occupants and took them to Peerumade Taluk Hospital, where two seriously injured passengers were later transferred to a private hospital in Kottayam for advanced care.
- The driver was identified as 38-year-old Ernest D. of Vellarada, Thiruvananthapuram, who died while undergoing treatment and whose body has been moved for a post-mortem examination.
- The other injured are Divya Jyothi (29) and Navya Jyothi (26), who were shifted to Kottayam, and Ajin (36), who remains under treatment at Peerumade; a five-year-old boy, Johan, escaped without injuries.
- Idukki’s steep high-range roads can be hazardous and local residents have pointed to the lack of a protective road wall; police say they will investigate causes such as driver error, road conditions, or mechanical failure and families await further medical updates.