Thousands bid tearful adieu to four girls crushed to death in Palakkad

PALAKKAD: Thousands bid a tearful adieu to the four 15-year-old girls crushed to death by a lorry in Panayampadam. The four were laid to rest at the Juma Masjid in Thuppanadu. The four dead are P A Irfana Sherin, daughter of Abdul Salam, Rida Fathima, daughter of Abdul Rafeeq, K M Nida Fathima, daughter of Abdul Salim and A S Ayesha, daughter of Sharafuddin, all from Cherully.

The bodies were kept for public homage at the students' homes and at the Karimbanakkal Hall in Thuppanadu. Thousands including the district collector, public representatives, classmates and teachers, paid their last respects. The bodies were not taken to the Karimpana Higher Secondary School where the students were studying.

The four girls were crushed to death by a lorry carrying cement. They were class 8 students of Karimpana Higher Secondary School. Their classmate Ajna Sherin, who was with them, had a narrow escape. The accident happened in Panayampadam on the Kozhikode-Palakkad national highway at around 3.50 pm yesterday. The police had taken the lorry driver Mahendra Prasad and cleaner Varghese of Kasargod into custody.