Mookambika pilgrimage turns fatal; two women from Pala killed in road mishap

PALA: A pilgrimage to the Mookambika Temple turned into a tragedy for a family from Pala when a speeding lorry rammed into their jeep near Kundapura in Karnataka, killing two women and leaving three others injured. The deceased have been identified as Jyothi Biju (45) of Padinjare Nellithanathu, Payappar, and Arya Anoop (33) of Keecheril, Payappar. The injured—Jyothi’s mother Mini Venugopal (65), her brother Jyothish (38), and Arya’s five-year-old son Ayan—were rushed to a private hospital in Kundapura for preliminary treatment before being shifted to Kasturba Medical College Hospital in Manipal for advanced care. According to reports, the eight-member group had left Pala on Friday by tourist bus to visit the Kollur Mookambika Temple. The accident occurred at around 2:00 PM on Sunday while they were returning from a trek to the Kodachadri hills in a hired jeep. The impact of the collision caused the jeep to overturn. While Jyothi died on the spot, Arya succumbed to her injuries later. The driver of the lorry fled the scene immediately after the crash, and law enforcement authorities have launched a search to apprehend him. Jyothi is survived by her husband, Biju, and three daughters: Lakshmi Priya, a nurse in Andhra Pradesh; Devapriya, a nursing student in Changanassery; and Avanthika, a student at St. Michael's HSS, Pravithanam. Arya is survived by her husband, Anoop, an auto-rickshaw driver, her injured son Ayan, and a one-year-old daughter, Avani. Relatives of the victims have reached Kundapura to complete the legal formalities and receive the bodies for repatriation to their hometown.