Archive · 7 Sep 2026
Kerala CM Seeks NH-66 Safety Review After Thrissur Crash
Eight engineering students from Tamil Nadu died in a road crash in Thrissur.
Their car hit the back of a lorry parked on National Highway 66.
The crash happened late on September 4.
The students were traveling from Guruvayur to Kodungallur after a leisure trip to Kerala.
Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan called the deaths an unbearable tragedy.
He said construction areas on the highway can be dangerous because roads may be narrow, diverted or unfinished.
He asked Nitin Gadkari to have the whole construction corridor checked for safety.
The check would also look at signs, lights, barriers and how heavy vehicles are parked.
Eight engineering students from Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul district died when their car hit a parked lorry on NH-66.
The crash occurred late on September 4 at Panambikkunnu in Kaipamangalam, Thrissur.
Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan asked Union Minister Nitin Gadkari to order an immediate, independent and time-bound safety review.
The proposed review would examine diversions, lighting, warning signs, markings, barricades, delineators and crash barriers.
Satheesan also called for stricter controls on hazardous parking and checks on contractors’ compliance with NHAI safety plans.
- Who
- Eight engineering students from Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, Kerala Chief Minister V. D. Satheesan, and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
- What
- Satheesan requested an independent, comprehensive and time-bound safety review of ongoing NH-66 construction after a fatal crash.
- When
- The crash occurred late on September 4; Satheesan’s letter was reported on September 7.
- Where
- At Panambikkunnu in Kaipamangalam, Thrissur district, Kerala, on NH-66.
- Why
- The request followed the deaths and concerns about safety during construction, including diversions, narrowed roads, unfinished stretches and hazardous vehicle parking.
- Deaths
- Eight people were killed in the crash.
- Victims
- The victims were engineering students from Dindigul district, Tamil Nadu, and attended PSNA College of Engineering and Technology.
- Crash
- A car carrying the students hit the rear of a parked Maharashtra-registered goods lorry.
- Location
- Panambikkunnu in Kaipamangalam, Thrissur district.
- Road
- National Highway 66, also called NH-66.
- Requested action
- An immediate, independent, comprehensive and time-bound safety review of ongoing NH-66 works in Kerala.
- Review areas
- Temporary diversions, road lighting, warning signs, reflective markings, barricades, delineators, crash barriers and vehicle parking.
