Eight people were killed in a horrific road accident on National Highway 66 at Panampikkunnu near Kaipamangalam in Thrissur district shortly after midnight on Friday (September 4, 2026).

The car rammed into a lorry that had been parked on the highway. Seven of the occupants died at the scene, while another person succumbed to injuries after being taken to hospital.

All eight victims were travelling in the car, which had a Madurai registration. The victims are suspected to be students from Tamil Nadu. An identity card belonging to a student of PSNA Engineering College in Dindigul was recovered from the accident site.

The car was travelling from the Guruvayur side towards Kodungallur when it crashed into the lorry, which was reportedly parked in the same direction on a stretch where roadwork was under way.

Local residents, Fire and Rescue Services personnel and police launched a rescue operation to pull the victims from the mangled vehicle. Firefighters had to cut open the wreckage to rescue two of the occupants.