Toll in accident in Odisha’s Sundargarh district rises to 9

Reported by Malay Ray
Rourkela, Sep 20:’

The death toll in the accident in Odisha’sSundargarh district yesterday has risen to nine with one person succumbing to his injuries at the Ispat General Hospital (IGH) here in the wee hours today. The deceased was identified as SudarshanKalo (24).

A pall of gloom has descended in Sendhapur village after the bodies of seven out of the nine who were killed in the accident yesterday reached there this morning.

Eight persons had died and 14 others critically injured when a mini truck carrying kabadi players returning home after playing a local tournament overturned near Suarapalli on Lahunipara – Baharaposi road, under Lahunipara police station, about fifty kilometer from here, on Saturday.

Eight of the 14 injured in the mishap were shifted to IGH here late in the evening after their condition deteriorated. The others are being treated at the Bonei sub divisional hospital.

Sources said the accident occurred at about 4.30 pm when a team of Kabadi players from Sendhapur village of Lahunipara block was returning home in a mini truck (OD-16-7141) after playing in a Kabadi tournament in Dhudigaon village.

While crossing Suarapalli square, the truck overturned and fell off a small bridge. Locals rushed to the spot and started rescue operation. The injured were rushed to the Lahunipara health center, where three of them were declared brought dead. Five others succumbed to their injuries later.

Six of the critically injured have been referred to Rourkela while four are being treated at the Bonei sub division hospital.

The deceased have been identified as Abhiram Kalo (50), Dharanidhar Nayak (60) and Chandra Sekhar Pradhan (18), all of them natives of Sendhapur village, Umesh Kisan (25), Gautam Naik (24) and Gauri Chandra Kissan (22) and Bharat Chandra Kalo (24), all natives of Sangopinathpur village near Sendhapur and Chhabila Chardia (23) of a village under Tikayatpalli PS near Bonei.

The incident has sent shock waves in the locality with hundreds of locals seen rushing to the accident site and later to the Lahunipara hospital.

“The truck has been recovered  from the site by us and all injured persons have been admitted to hospital,” said R.B.Panigrahi, Additional SP Bonei. “We have registered a case and investigating into the matter,” Panigrahi added.