Kerala: Man dies in road accident while attempting to avoid hitting stray dog

Image used for representational purpose. Pic/iStock

In a tragic incident, a 22-year-old man fell under the wheels of lorry and died here on Friday morning while trying to avoid hitting a stray dog that suddenly came before his bike, news agency PTI reported.

According to PTI, an officer of Varapuzha police station, within whose jurisdiction the accident occurred, said they received information about the incident around 8 AM.

"People are being questioned as to what happened. Further details will be available later," the officer told the news agency.

Meanwhile, the driver of the container lorry told a TV channel that he was returning from the harbour area when the biker suddenly fell before his vehicle on Container Road here and he could not stop in time.

Some locals of the area said the accident occurred due to a stray dog running onto the road suddenly.

They claimed stray dogs were regularly attacking motorists, especially at night, come onto the road and do not move away sometimes despite repeated honking.

"There have been several road accidents due to stray dogs. Sometimes they do not move away and we have to go around them. People dump waste here and therefore, a lot of stray dogs are present here. They move around in groups," a local resident said.

Earlier on June 12, authorities in Kerala said that an eleven-year-old boy was found dead in a suspected case of a stray dog attack in Muzhappilangad town in the district, news agency ANI reported. ANI quoted Edakkad police saying that the boy, Nihal, went out of his house on Sunday evening and when he did not return, the family and the locals started searching for him. After searching for some time in the area, the boy's body was found around 8 pm in Muzhappilangad town, a police officer said.

In the wake of the increasing incidents of stray dog attacks across the state, the Kerala government decided to increase the number of Animal Birth Control (ABC) centres for their sterilisation and approach the court seeking an amendment in the existing central rules to effectively regulate the number. State Local Self-Government Department Minister M B Rajesh and Animal Husbandry Minister J Chinchu Rani convened a meeting of various stakeholders and officials to find practical solutions to address the stray dog issue.

(WIth inputs from PTI and ANI)