Kottayam: If she could have reached the hospital a bit early that little smile on her face would have remained even today.

TB Abdul Salam, from Ernakulam, who stopped his car and took Eileen to hospital said that the little girl died because they got stuck in traffic jam in Kottayam town.

Eileen, daughter of Rintu and Rinu from Paruthumpara, died after a pill got stuck in her throat Tuesday evening. Eileen and her mother Rinu were at a relative's place at Chingavanam when the girl took the medicine around 5pm since she had severe cough.

When the pill got stuck in her throat, Eileen became uncomfortable and Rinu and her sister Sajina took the girl and ran towards MC Road. Though they waved and screamed at cars, drivers didn’t respond initially but Abdul Salam stopped his car and took the girl to hospital. At that time, a procession was being taken out in the city by an organization.

While they were going from Chingavanam to a hospital in Kottayam town, they got stuck in a traffic jam on Kodimatha bridge and the car could move only at a crawling speed. They tried to take shortcuts too, but Salam said that they lost precious time negotiating traffic.

Before they could reach the hospital, Eileen lost her life in front of her mother and aunt.

The students and teachers of Pachiramatha English Medium School, where Eileen studied, bid her final goodbye Wednesday. The funeral will be held in at Chingavanam St Jones Dayara Church at 5pm today.

What eye witness MD Bhargav Nedumkunnam has to say

I was witness to the car carrying Eileen getting stuck in the traffic jam. There were traffic restrictions due to road works in the city. A procession and a bike rally made things worse. The girl's car came during this time. The car passed mine with hazard lights on. It couldn't go further before it got stuck. We are not saying that we don't need processions and rallies. But political parties should remember that there are many who suffer losses because of this. Try to avoid creating road blocks during rush hour. Political and cultural leaders should lead from the front to implement this. This is a humble request.

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