At least three people were killed and five others injured after a tipper lorry carrying soil lost control and crashed into a bus stop at Neeleswaram in Kottarakkara in this district on Tuesday morning, police said.
The impact of the crash caused the soil carried by the lorry to spill onto people waiting at the bus stop, burying several of them under the heap.
Among those killed was a student, who was waiting to catch a bus to school. Some other students were also injured.
Three persons -- Parthipan (15), Harilal (54) and Ajayakumar (50) -- were brought dead to the Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital, health officials said.
Five others sustained injuries in the accident, of whom three were seriously hurt.
Rishabh (15), Kaushik (15) and Nizam (40), who suffered serious injuries, were shifted to a private hospital in Kollam for specialised treatment, officials said.
Two others--Navaneeth Krishnan (13) and Jiby Mol (15) sustained minor injuries, they added.
Police said efforts were initially undertaken to ascertain whether anyone remained trapped beneath the heap of soil following the accident.
An eyewitness said she and a few others had a narrow escape from the accident.
"I was standing some distance away from the bus stop. The tipper lorry was coming at a high speed. I don't know whether it lost its brakes. It rammed into those standing at the bus stop and the soil loaded in the vehicle fell on them," she told reporters.
Meanwhile, Health and Devaswom Minister K Muraleedharan directed officials to ensure specialised treatment for those undergoing care at private hospitals.
He said a special medical team has been kept ready at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital to handle any emergency situation arising out of the accident.
The team comprises specialists from various departments, including General Surgery and Orthopaedics.
The activities will be coordinated under the leadership of the Medical College Hospital Superintendent, he said.
Health Department officials are also in touch with the private hospitals where the injured are being treated and will take all necessary measures, the minister added.
State ministers Bindu Krishna and P C Vishnunadh, along with senior Congress leader and MP Kodikunnil Suresh, visited the accident site and spoke to the local residents.
Vishnunadh said that all treatment expenses of the injured would be borne by the government. He said that the issue of providing financial assistance to the families of those killed in the accident would be taken up with the government.
