ICCA success celebration stopped midway after tragic news; Tearful adieu to best friends

KOTTAYAM: Kripa Merin Kurian and Ashley Ann Thomas were close friends since school days. Kripa, who had moved to Australia after her studies, would always make it a point to visit Ashley whenever she returned home for a vacation. Yesterday, the two met and decided to visit another friend in Kanam.

On Wednesday, Kripa took her car to drive to Ashley's house. Later, they decided to take a scooter and visit their friend. When they reached the Kottayam-Kumily (KK Road) highway near Pampady, their scooter came to a sudden halt after the car in front of them applied the brakes all of a sudden. Both Kripa and Ashley fell to the road after losing control, and before they could do anything, a swiftly moving private bus came by, killing both of them on the spot.

Even though she was abroad, Kripa would never miss the church festival held every year in her hometown. The festival at St. Ignatius Church, Kadavumbhagam—where her father serves as the vicar—was scheduled for the 24th and 25th. Kripa arrived home in the early hours of the 19th, accompanied by her brother Kiran, who works in Australia. She had even purchased new clothes to wear for the festival. Her return ticket to Australia was for November 16th. The young woman was preparing to celebrate her 25th birthday on November 23rd.

Ashley had recently completed her ICCA course. On Wednesday, few of her friends arrived at her home with a cake to celebrate the success, only to be served with the tragic news of her passing in the accident.

The tragic news had not yet been shared with Ashley’s grandparents.