Newlyweds’ Honeymoon Turned Tragic: Family of Four Killed in Heart-Stopping Car Crash in Kerala

Pathanamthitta (The Uttam Hindu): A tragic car accident in Koodal, Pathanamthitta, claimed the lives of a family of four, including a newlywed couple returning from their honeymoon. The accident occurred when their car collided with a bus carrying Sabarimala pilgrims. The incident took place near their home, just days after the couple’s wedding. One of the pilgrims sustained minor injuries. The victims were Mathai Eapan (60), his son Nikhil (30), Nikhil’s wife Anu (26), and Anu’s father Biju P George (58), all residents of Mallassery. The accident occurred just 7 km from their home. A pilgrim on the bus suffered a leg injury but was treated and later discharged from the hospital before the group continued their journey back to Telangana by train.

The accident took place around 4:30 am on the Punalur-Muvattupuzha Main Eastern Highway. According to Koodal police, Naveen and Anu had married on November 30 and were returning from their four-day honeymoon in Malaysia. Mathai and Biju had picked them up from Thiruvananthapuram airport, and they were on their way home when the accident occurred. Mini George, a resident of Sabson Quarters at Murinjakal, was the first to reach the scene of the accident. She recounted her traumatic experience, saying she had trouble sleeping and was awake when she heard a loud thud at 4:05 am. “I rushed outside without waking my husband and son. On the road, I saw a completely destroyed car and a mini-bus. Inside the car, there were four severely injured people, covered in blood and not moving. I ran back home to inform others.

The images of the bodies are still fresh in my mind,” she recalled. “The four died instantly, without even knowing what happened. I knew the family. The young couple lost their lives before they even had a chance to live together. Although Anu was breathing when the police took her out of the car, my son said there was no hope because her head had been severely injured. The car was in terrible condition, and there were no airbags. Accidents often happen on this road, but this is the first time I’ve witnessed such a horrific crash with such high casualties,” she added. Officials from the motor vehicles department who visited the scene speculated that the driver might have fallen asleep, causing the car to veer off the road and crash into the bus. “The car was a 2012 model without airbags. Based on the preliminary assessment, factors like the driver’s inexperience, age, and the early hour may have contributed to the accident. As they were returning from the airport, it’s possible the driver dozed off for just a second, which might have led to the crash,” an MVD official said.