Sabarimala pilgrim killed, three injured in accident

A 51-year-old man was killed and three others injured after a car carrying Sabarimala pilgrims collided head-on with a container lorry on the Muvattupuzha–Perumbavoor stretch of MC Road at Thrikkalathoor in Muvattupuzha on Wednesday.

The deceased was identified as Cheerela Ashok Kumar, a native of Vanasthalipuram in Telangana. The injured are Mokedu Rajasekhar, 41, Cheerela Dheeraj, 18, and Pradeep Kumar, 31, all from Rangareddy district in Telangana, according to police sources.

The pilgrims met with the accident around 5.30 a.m. when they were returning after darshan at the temple.

Police sources said the car driver might have dozed off at the wheel, leading to the accident. The injured were rushed to two hospitals, and their condition was reported to be stable, the police said.