'Phoned friends, but police picked up call'; Abdullah still in shock over accident news

KOCHI: Kochi woke up in shock, learning about the accident in Edappally that claimed the lives of two students after their car crashed into a metro pillar during the wee hours of Saturday morning. Two of the seriously injured are undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit of the Medical Trust Hospital. Muneer Nazir (22) of Avalukkunnu MM Manzil in Alappuzha and Haroon Shaji (24) of Alappuzha Stadium Ward died in the fatal accident. Yakub Harris (20) of Valiyamaram, Alappuzha and Adil Ziyad (20) of Valiyamaram are undergoing treatment. The accident took place near Changampuzha Park in Edappally at 3.30 am on Saturday.

The four of them were heading to Nedumbassery Airport to receive their expatriate friend Abdullah Subair. They reached Edappally via the national highway but got lost. Instead of turning towards Aluva, they turned towards Palarivattom and continued on. The speeding car lost control near Changampuzha Park and crashed into Metro Pillar No. 500 on the left side. The car, which was thrown over the median, overturned once and landed on the opposite road. Although the crash was severe, the impact was compounded by the fact that the airbag did not deploy.

Relatives had also arrived at the airport in another car to pick up Abdullah. After knowing that his friends failed to reach the airport, Abdullah phoned them but was surprised to hear a response from the police instead. Abdullah, who arrived in Kerala to write an exam, was then informed of the fatal accident. Whenever Abdullah returned home, all four of his friends used to go to the airport to pick him up.

The rescue operation was sped up after the nearby biker informed the control room patrol team. One person, who was in critical condition, was taken to the nearby MAJ Hospital in a police jeep, and three others in two auto rickshaws. However, the lives of Muneer and Haroon could not be saved, said ASI Aji, who was on patrol duty at the control room.

Muneer and Haroon died on the spot. Yakub and Adil were shifted to the Medical Trust Hospital in critical condition.

There is a slight improvement in their health.

The Elamakkara police completed the inquest and handed over the body to the relatives after the postmortem in the evening.

Haroon returned from abroad a month and a half ago due to poor work conditions. He was preparing to go abroad again. The funeral was held at the Alappuzha East Juma Masjid Qabaristan.

Haroon's father, Shaji, is bedridden following a stroke. His mother, Rajeeba(Suni), died of cancer. The ceremony to mark the 40th day since his grandfather's death was scheduled to be held on Monday. Brother: Hafeez.

Muneer was a cashier at a hotel in Alappuzha. His parents are the late Nazir and Ramlath. His brother is Mansoor. The funeral was held at the Kallupalam Masthan mosque in Qabaristan.