The Alappuzha Government Medical College campus was filled with grief on Tuesday as the bodies of five first-year MBBS students, who tragically died in a road accident, were brought to the Medical College Central Library building.
The once-busy corridor of the building, which had been full of activity until just a day earlier, now stood silent, filled with mourning family members, friends, teachers, and public visitors who came to offer their condolences and pay their final respects.
The victims of the crash were Devanandan from Kottakkal in Malappuram, Sreedeep Valsan from Shekharipuram in Palakkad, Ayush Shaji from Kavalam in Alappuzha, Muhammed Ibrahim P.P. from Andrott island in Lakshadweep, and Muhammed Abdul Jabbar from Muttom in Kannur. They were in a car that veered into the opposite lane and collided with a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation bus near Kalarcode in Alappuzha on Monday night.
Six other students, Anand Manu, Krishadev, Alvin, Muhsin, Gouri Shankar, and Shane, who were also in the car, were injured, with three of them in critical condition. The students were on their way to a movie in Alappuzha in a rented vehicle.
Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian, Agriculture Minister P. Prasad, and Alappuzha District Collector Alex Varghese joined the grieving crowd at the campus to pay their last respects.
After the postmortem examinations, the bodies were brought to the library building before noon. Family and friends, many still in shock, struggled to hold back their tears. “We’ve only been together for about two months, but we became like family. I can’t believe this happened,” said a devastated first-year MBBS student.
Ibrahim, one of the victims, had recently passed the NEET-UG exam on his first attempt and secured admission to the medical college. “We are all in shock. He was supposed to be the backbone of his family, but fate had other plans,” said a family friend.
Afterward, the bodies were transported to their hometowns, leaving the campus shrouded in sadness. Ibrahim was laid to rest at a mosque graveyard in Ernakulam.
The accident occurred around 9:30 p.m., just under 10 km from the medical college. Authorities from the Motor Vehicles department said the crash was caused by reckless driving. “The student driving the car, Gouri Shankar, had obtained his driving license less than six months ago. The car lacked an anti-lock braking system, and when he applied the brakes on the wet road, the vehicle skidded and crashed into the bus,” said A.K. Dilu, the Regional Transport Officer in Alappuzha.
Mr. Dilu also revealed that the seven-seater car, which was meant for only seven passengers, had 11 people in it at the time of the crash. The students had rented the car from an unauthorized service. “We’ve identified the owner of the rent-a-car facility and have summoned him for questioning,” Mr. Dilu added. Steps will also be taken to suspend Gouri Shankar’s driving license.
The campus remained in mourning as public figures and officials came together to honor the lives lost.