MALAPPURAM, Apr 18: Thousands of people, including students, gathered in Malappuram, Kerala, on Saturday to pay their last respects to the nine persons, including six teachers, who were victims of the Valparai road accident.
The scenes at the Malappuram Pang Govt. Higher Secondary School grounds and the victims’ homes in Malappuram were heart-wrenching as thousands gathered to pay their final respects to the departed souls.
The emotional weight of the tragedy was felt across the state, as many of those lost were devoted teachers. The funeral ceremonies were completed at various places by Saturday afternoon.
Seven people were laid to rest in three mosques. The funeral of the school’s headmistress Ajitha was held at the Shanthi beach in Shoranur and that of Asha in her home compound in Kolathur.
Nine persons, including six teachers and a staffer of two government schools in Malappuram, died and four others were injured after a van they were travelling in veered off the road and plunged around 800 ft while navigating the 13th hairpin bend on the Valparai-Pollachi Ghat Road in Coimbatore district on Friday evening.
The vehicle tumbled down four hairpin sections of the road before coming to a halt at the ninth hairpin bend. The group, which was on a vacation tour, comprised staff members of the Pang-Palliparamba Government LPS and UP school at Kuruva in Malappuram and their relatives.
The deceased are school headmistress Ajitha, 54, a resident of Paloor; teachers Ramla, 52, Suhara, 43, Majeed, 43, – all from Pang – and Asha, 41, from Kolathur; Majeed’s wife Ruqiya, 39, school cook Sajitha, 45, Hisham, 12, and Shakeela, 37, teacher of UP school.
According to sources, Noushad, 39, Sahadeen, 11, Masneen, 10, and van driver Mohammed Fasith, 21, were the four injured.
Postmortem examinations of all nine victims were completed at a government hospital in Pollachi between midnight and 4 am, following which the bodies were transported back to Perintalmanna in Malappram.
The bodies were then laid in state at Pang Ambalaparmbu Govt. Higher Secondary School ground, allowing the public to pay their final respects.
A large crowd of local residents, students, and family members gathered at the school to pay their respects. Many sobbed in memory of their loved teachers.
The little children of Pang LP School, who had arrived in uniform to bid farewell to their beloved teachers, were the saddest sight. Several leaders, including State General Education Minister V Sivankutty, Muslim League leader PK Kunhalikkutty, MLA A P Anil Kumar and Manjalamkuzhi Ali, also paid their respects to the departed souls.
The funeral of Majeed Master and his wife Ruqiya was held at the Pang Mattath Juma Masjid, the funeral of teachers Ramla Shakeela and cook Sajitha was held at the Pang Valiya Juma Masjid, and the burial of Suhara and her son Hisham was held at the East Pang Juma Masjid.
Teacher Ajitha’s funeral was held at the Shornur Shanthitheera and Asha’s at her Kolathur family home compound.
The condition of three people injured in the accident remains critical.
President Droupati Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed their condolences over the accident.
(UNI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
