Thiruvananthapuram, Friday, February 17, 2012: It was exactly a year ago on this day (February 17, 2011) that a terrible tragedy claimed the lives of six school kids and a maid after an Maruti omni van carrying them plunged into the Parvathy Puthanar.

The dead were identified as Malavika, Achu KS, Arsha Baiju, Ujjwal Shobu and Jinu Asimuddin, all kinder garten students hailing from Karikkakom. Maid Bindu (31) from Vattiyoorkavu also died in the accident. Four-year-old Razik breathed his last in a city hospital later.

Little Irfan, the lone survivor of the accident, is still on his wheel chair, paralyzed due to the polluted waters of Parvathy Puthanar.

The magisterial inquiry report into the matter had pointed out over speeding, speaking on the mobile phone while driving and rash and negligent driving by an inexperience driver as the causes that led to the ‘accident’.