The four 13-year-old girls who lost their lives in a devastating lorry accident in Palakkad were laid to rest together at the Thuppanad Juma Masjid graveyard on Friday, December 13.
According to reports, the children - Aysha, Rida Fathima, Nida Fathima, and Irfana Sheril - were friends ever since they were enrolled in a madrasa at a young age. Their friendship remained unbroken in school, only to be cut short by a tragic road accident. However, their bodies lay next to each other in the graveyard. The victims, students of Karimba Higher Secondary School, were waiting at the bus stop after finishing their exams to return home, when the mishap occured.
The bodies were brought to their homes early in the morning after postmortem examinations at the Palakkad District Hospital. Their bodies were kept in state at Thuppanadu Karimpanakkal Hall from 8.30am to 10am before their final rites were performed. The families had decided against a public homage at the Karimba Higher Secondary School where the girls studied, citing the need for a quick burial.
The accident occurred on the afternoon of December 12, as the students were waiting at a bus stop after completing their exams. The cement-laden lorry, after being hit by another vehicle, lost control and overturned. Three of the girls died instantly, while a fourth succumbed to her injuries later at the hospital. Another student was critically injured, while the lorry driver and cleaner sustained minor injuries.
The truck driver, Mahendra Prasad, and the cleaner, Varghese, have been taken in for questioning.