One killed and three hurt after car plunges into Idukki river

One person died and three others were injured after a car plunged into the Chinnar river near Kuttikkanam in Kerala’s Idukki district late on Friday night. The accident occurred after 10 p.m. at Nalammile on the Kuttikkanam–Kattappana hill highway, according to police.

The deceased was identified as Abhishek S. Nair, 28, from Adoor in Pathanamthitta district. His wife, Kavya, and their friends Abhiram and Apsa were injured and taken to Peerumade Taluk Hospital.

Police said the four had been staying at a resort in Kuttikkanam and were travelling to collect a friend from another resort at Karintharuvi near Elappara. As the vehicle approached a bridge over the Chinnar, the driver lost control and the car fell into the river. Local residents reached the site, rescued the occupants and took them to hospital.

Abhishek, however, could not be saved. His body was later taken to the Government Medical College Hospital in Kottayam for a post-mortem examination and was subsequently handed over to relatives. The injured passengers were admitted to the Peerumade facility.

The supplied report did not provide details about the nature or severity of their injuries. Abhishek and Kavya had married the previous month, according to the report. The incident occurred on the hill highway near Kuttikkanam, an area where the road crosses the river by bridge.

Police said the immediate account of the crash was that the driver lost control as the car approached the crossing. The report did not state whether any further investigation or legal action had been announced. It also did not provide information about weather or road conditions at the time of the accident.

Local residents’ intervention enabled the occupants to be brought from the river to medical care. Abhishek’s death was confirmed after the group was taken to the hospital, while the three injured people remained under treatment.