Kottarakkara, Kerala: In a desperate race against time, a father pulled his teenage son from beneath a mound of soil after a truck overturned near a bus stop here on Tuesday.

Sanil of Neeleswaram rescued his son, Navaneeth Krishnan, a Class 9 student of St. Mary's School, Kottarakkara, moments after the boy was buried under soil when a truck carrying earth overturned near the bus stop.

At least three people, including a school student, were killed and five others were injured in the accident that happened at a bus stop at Neeleswaram on Tuesday morning.

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Sanil had accompanied Navaneeth to the bus stop on his way to tuition classes and was standing nearby while his son waited with friends to board a bus. Suddenly, the soil-laden truck overturned toward the area where the children and other people were standing.

For a few moments, Sanil could not comprehend what had happened. As the dust settled, he realised his son was missing. He first pulled out another child trapped under the soil. Then he spotted Navaneeth's leg protruding from the mound. Digging frantically and pulling with all his strength, Sanil managed to drag his son to safety.

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He later recalled that he barely remembers how he rescued the boy, only that he kept digging and pulling until Navaneeth emerged from the soil. Another child trapped beneath the mound could not be rescued immediately.

A passing scooter rider helped Sanil rush his son to the Taluk Hospital. It took several anxious hours before the family was convinced that Navaneeth had escaped without serious injuries.

Later, Sanil returned to the accident site and searched through the scattered soil for his son's belongings. He managed to recover one of Navaneeth's shoes and his own damaged slipper.

Sanil and his wife, Krishna, are now relieved and grateful that their only child survived the terrifying incident. Sanil runs a grocery distribution agency in the area.