Kannur: Noted film actor Unnikrishnan Namboothiri, known for his comedy and grandfather roles, died on Wednesday, his family sources said. Namboothiri was 98.

The actor had survived COVID-19 and was discharged from a hospital on Tuesday. A family friend of the actor said Namboothiri felt some uneasiness and was admitted to a private hospital on Wednesday but he passed away in the evening.

He is survived by his children Devi, Bhavadas, Yamuna and P V Kunhikrishnan. P V Kunhikrishnan is a Kerala High Court judge. Namboothiri is also the father-in-law of popular musician Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Leader of Opposition in the stateAssembly, Ramesh Chennithala condoled the demise of the actor.

"Namboothiri was an amazing actor who excelled in playing character roles.It's a huge loss to the cultural world," Vijayan said in his condolence message. Chennithala said Namboothiri was known as the grandfather of south Indian cinema.

"....with his demise, Malayalam movie industry has lost an excellent actor," Chennithala said.

His debut movie was 'Kaliyattam' in 1996.

Later he acted in numerous movies including 'Kaikudanna Nilavu', 'Madhuranombarakattu', 'Meghmalhar', 'Kalyanaraman,' 'Rappakal' and 'Pokkiri Raja'. His role as a romantic grandfather in 'Kalyanaraman' was a huge hit.

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Madikeri (Karnataka) (PTI): A seven-year-old student was killed in a fire accident that occurred at a residential school in Kodagu district on Thursday, police said.

The fire broke out at Har Mandir School near here in the wee hours, and the rest of the 29 students staying in the residential school were saved, they added.

The victim has been identified as Pushpak (7), a Class Two student from Chettimani village in Madikeri taluk. Firefighters from the Madikeri Fire Station, along with local residents, worked together to douse the flames. The cause of the fire is believed to be a short circuit.

"There were 29 students in this residential school. All others are safe except for this boy. Investigations are on to ascertain the cause of the fire, though preliminarily it seems that a short circuit was the reason behind the fire," a police officer told PTI.

Senior police officers and Fire Brigade staff visited the spot and conducted an inspection.