7 killed, 11 hurt in tragic road mishap

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Kendrapara/Cuttack, Apr 24:

At least 7 persons, all of a marriage light decoration party, were killed early morning today when a van carrying them collided head on with a truck at Chandol police outpost chowk in Odisha’s Kendrapara district , on the Cuttack-Chandballi state highway.

Those killed were poor daily wagers and five of them were women. They hailed from Gandhipalli locality on the outskirts of Cuttack city.

The ill-fated van coming from Kendrapara met with the accident with the truck which was coming from opposite direction.

Kendrapara Superintendent of Police Rabi Narayan Behera said six persons died on the spot while another died on the way to hospital. The van that met with the mishap was carrying about 18 persons.

Of the 11 injured, eight  have been rushed to the SCB Medical College and Hospital where the condition of the three injured was stated to be critical. The casualty figure is likely to go up, sources said.

According to reports, a group of labourers from the Gandhinagar slum near Mahanadi Vihar in Cuttack, had gone to Kendrapara to carry decorative lights on their heads in a marriage procession.

After doing their job, they were on the way back to Cuttack in two Tata Magic vans.

On the way, a truck coming from the opposite direction, suddenly lost balance after one of its front tyres suddenly burst and collided head-on with the Tata Magic van, killing six labourers and driver on the spot.

Another person with grievous injuries died at the Nischintakoili Hospital.

Family members of the deceased reached the Nischintakoili hospital this morning following the news. 

The police  are making arrangements to bring the bodies of the seven deceased from Nischintkoili hospital to Kendrapara district headquarters hospital for post mortem, reports said.