They had begun their journey together in a tempo traveller, bound by friendship and shared moments of joy. They came back, however, in nine ambulances--lifeless, leaving an entire village grappling with an overwhelming sense of loss.
The premises of a state-run school in Pang village here turned into a place of collective mourning as the bodies of 9 people--teachers, non-teaching staff and their relatives associated with the Palliparamba Government Lower Primary School--were brought back following a fatal road accident in neighbouring Tamil Nadu on Friday.
A large number of people gathered on the campus--students in tears, anxious parents, stunned colleagues and villagers who had long shared close bonds with the victims.
Several people broke down on seeing the bodies, with some fainting and others crying inconsolably, reflecting the depth of the tragedy that has shaken them.
State General Education Minister V Sivankutty, MLA A P Anil Kumar and Manjalamkuzhi Ali visited the school to pay their respects.
The government will provide counselling support to students affected by the incident and financial assistance to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund.
