Kerala man praised online for driving burning truck to safety

Kerala man praised online for driving burning truck to safety

Mangalore Today News Network

Wayanad, Feb 02, 2022: A truck carrying straw caught fire in the Kozhikode district in Kerala over the weekend. The driver noticed the fire had engulfed straw in the vehicle as he reached Kodancherry from Wayanad. He panicked and stopped the vehicle only to run away from the scene.

 

It was an onlooker, Shaji Varghese, who came to the rescue and averted a major accident. The video of his daring rescue is doing the rounds on social media and Varghese is being applauded online.

Varghese hopped into the truck and took it towards the nearby ground at St Joseph’s Higher Secondary School. His quick thinking in driving the truck in a zigzag manner was successful. The straw bundles fell on the ground and people gathered at the scene separated those which did not catch fire. The fire department team in Mukkam reached the spot immediately and the fire was doused.

 

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A post shared by നമ്മൾ കോഴിക്കോട്ടുകാർ (@kozhikottukaarofficial)

The video posted by the Instagram handle, kozhikottukaarofficial, has garnered more than 14,000 likes so far. “It is suspected that the fire was caused due to short circuit from electrical lines which struck the straw. The courage shown by Shaji Varghese, known as Shaji Pappan, a merchant and driver in Kodancherry has averted a major tragedy,” read the post’s caption. “Shaji pappan is always a hero,” commented a user.

According to local media reports, Varghese got his nickname after the release of the Malayalam movie Aadu.

This is not the first time Varghese has saved the day. Two years ago, Varghese along with his friends picked up a Nano car, which overturned in Kolli and was stuck on the edge of about a 50 feet cliff.

Courtesy:Indian Express