Akshay, a 19-year-old motorcyclist, was electrocuted and two others riding pillion were injured when the two-wheeler on which they were riding tripped over a fallen power line at Nedumangadu, a rural suburb nearly 16 km from Thiruvananthapuram city, on Sunday (July 19, 2025.)
According to the police, a tree in a private compound on the roadside fell onto the electric post during heavy rain, causing the pylon to keel over onto the road.
Akshay, a final-year degree student, and his two friends, one of them identified as Amal, a polytechnic undergraduate, were returning home from a dinner catering assignment when the accident occurred.
Officials said the students worked as caterers for various event managers on weekends to contribute to the family budget. The police have registered a case of unnatural death. Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty told reporters that the Chief Engineer of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) would conduct an enquiry and submit a report to the government for further action.
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He said the probe would focus on whether there was any negligence or maintenance oversight on the part of KSEB officers in charge of the section.
Mr. Krishnankutty, citing an initial report, said the tree that caused the collapse on the power line was on a private property. He said the owner rejected several requests by KSEB and village officials to fell the tree whose branches dangled perilously over the road. Akshay’s body was being kept at the Nedumangadu Taluk Hospital mortuary for post-mortem examination.
Published – July 20, 2025 11:05 am IST
