Thrissur, Sept 8:
Preliminary post-mortem findings indicate that some of the eight Tamil Nadu engineering students killed in the devastating Kaipamangalam road accident in Kerala may have consumed alcohol before the crash, though forensic experts have cautioned that the finding alone cannot establish that alcohol caused the accident.
Dr Hitesh Shankar, head of the Forensic Medicine Department at Thrissur Medical College and the doctor who supervised the post-mortem examinations, said the preliminary assessment indicated possible alcohol consumption among the victims.
However, he stressed that the presence of alcohol in blood samples by itself does not prove that it was responsible for the crash.
Samples have been sent for detailed laboratory analysis to establish the presence and level of alcohol and to determine whether any narcotic or other intoxicating substances were involved.
The accident occurred at around 11.42 pm on September 4 at Panampikunnu Centre on National Highway 66 in Kaipamangalam, Thrissur district.
The eight students, all from PSNA College of Engineering and Technology in Dindigul, were travelling in a car when it crashed into the rear of a goods lorry parked by the roadside.
The impact was extremely severe, leaving the car completely mangled. Rescue workers had to cut open the vehicle to extricate the victims.
The forensic examination revealed extensive injuries to the head, chest, abdomen, internal organs and major blood vessels. In some cases, the injuries were so severe that death was believed to have occurred instantly or within a very short period.
One of the victims suffered particularly devastating injuries, with both legs completely severed.
The nature of the injuries was consistent with a powerful, high-speed impact, according to the preliminary forensic observations.
Meanwhile, police are examining the circumstances immediately preceding the accident. Local residents have claimed that the group had earlier been involved in an altercation with people at Pathamkallu in Thalikulam while attempting to arrange accommodation.
Police have collected video footage from the area and are examining the sequence of events.
A joint team comprising the police, Motor Vehicles Department, Public Works Department and National Highways Authority of India is also scheduled to inspect the National Highway 66 stretch following the accident.
Authorities are expected to establish the precise circumstances leading to the crash after forensic laboratory reports and the ongoing investigation are completed.