8 Kerala teachers die in mini-van accident in TN's Valparai

EIGHT tourists were killed and five critically injured when a mini-van from Kerala rolled down multiple hairpin bends on the ghat road in Valparai in Tamil Nadu, police said on Friday (April 17).

The people travelling in the van were teachers from Malappuram district in Kerala. They were on a leisure trip when this horrific accident took place.

The vehicle lost control while proceeding along Valparai-Pollachi ghat road and rolled down from 13th bend to the ninth bend, said a police official to PTI.

The minivan was mangled in the impact. "There were 13 people in the van; they all came from Malappuram, but we are yet to establish if they all belong to a family or friends or acquaintances," he added. The van was carrying teachers from the Malappuram district in Kerala. They were on a leisure trip.

The injured were first taken to a nearby hospital but were later shifted to Pollachi Hospital. Some of the injured are still in critical condition and the toll could go up.

Further investigations are on.