In the horrific road accident at Panambikkunnu in Kaipamangalam on National Highway 66 in Thrissur that claimed the lives of eight engineering students from Tamil Nadu, initial forensic reports indicate substance abuse as a potential contributing factor. Forensic examinations conducted at the Government Medical College Hospital confirmed that the students had consumed alcohol.
One of the deceased students was driving the vehicle at the time of the crash. Blood samples have been dispatched to the Chemical Examination Laboratory in Kakkanad, Ernakulam, for detailed testing, which will also check for the presence of synthetic drugs.
However, Dr. T.S. Hitesh Shankar, Head of the Forensic Department at the Medical College, clarified in a Facebook post that the mere presence of alcohol in the blood cannot be conclusively cited as the primary cause of the accident. He emphasized that other contributing circumstances leading to the crash must also be examined thoroughly as part of the detailed investigation.
For more details: Navamalayalam.com