Malappuram: Nine people from Malappuram were killed in a road accident at Valparai in Tamil Nadu on Friday afternoon after a tempo traveller overturned and plunged off the road near hairpin bend 13.

The victims were part of a group from two nearby schools in Malappuram — Parammal ALP School at Paangu near Kolathur and GUP School, Paangu. The 13-member team included teachers, non-teaching staff, family members, and the driver. The trip was organised by the staff of Parammal ALP School, with a colleague from GUP School joining them.

The group had set out for a leisure trip to Valparai early on Friday. They were returning from Pollachi when the accident occurred around 5.30 pm. The vehicle (KL 11 AM 7288) is suspected to have lost control at hairpin bend 13 and plunged down to hairpin bend 11.

Among the deceased is Ajitha (54), headmistress of Parammal ALP School and a native of Pulamanthole.
Others who died in the accident include Ramla (52), Suhara (43), Asha (41), and Majeed (43), all teachers and natives of Paangu; Sajitha (45), a member of the school’s cooking staff; Naushad (39), the school bus driver; Shakeena (37), a teacher at GUP School Paangu, and Rukhiya (39), the wife of Majeed.

Those injured include Hisham (12), son of Suhara; Shahadin, child of Sajitha; Masneen (10), child of Shakeena; and Mohammed Fahis, the traveller driver.
Police said further details are under investigation.

As the accident occurred along an isolated stretch of the Pollachi–Valparai road, there was a delay in local residents noticing the incident and alerting authorities. The injured were initially shifted to hospitals in Pollachi. It is now learnt that one person is undergoing treatment in Pollachi, while three others are being treated in Coimbatore.