Malkangiri: In a tragic mishap, a Border Security Force (BSF) jawan died while five others sustained critical injuries in a road accident while returning to their base camp in Odisha's Malkangiri district on Monday night. The incident was reported in Chintoor on Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border at around 2.30 am.

The deceased paramilitary personnel was identified as Gaurav Pandey, a havildar with the 142 battalion of BSF. Pandey was from Uttar Pradesh. 

As per reports, a group of six BSF jawans, all hailing from North India, were returning after a month-long holiday to their base camp in Balimela in Malkangiri. After a train journey until Khammam, they hired a private Innova car and were heading back when their vehicle collided head-on with a truck. The collision was so severe that Pandey died on the spot.

The other five jawans sustained critical injuries. A portion of the car too was completely destroyed under the impact. Though the exact reason of the accident is not established yet, BSF source said the truck's headlight was malfunctioning due to which the car driver could not see the vehicle approaching and crashed into it.

Police on getting information, immediately arrived on the spot and rescued the trapped jawans from the mangled vehicle. They were shifted to a hospital in Bhadrachalam in bordering Telangana where they are currently undergoing treatment.

Investigation has been initiated to probe circumstances leading to the accident. Senior BSF officials and a special medical team has been sent to Bhadrachalam to take charge of the situation. The jawans were just two hours away from reaching their destination. They would have resumed duty today. The health condition of the injured soldiers is stable now," they said.

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