Kendrapada: Around 100 metres of an under-construction portion on National Highway-53, a key stretch connecting Odisha’s Paradip Port with the mineral-rich areas in Jajpur, caved inSunday due to incessant rain, officials said.
The incident took place near Nilachal Bazar under Marshaghai police station limits in Kendrapada district, triggering concern among locals.
Three trucks parked along the under-construction stretch fell into a ditch after it caved in, the officials said.
However, no injuries or fatalities were reported as there were no drivers or helpers inside the trucks at the time, police said.
A senior official at the NHAI Bhubaneswar Regional Office attributed the road collapse to prolonged water stagnation, following a week of incessant rainfall.
He also said that the trucks were not authorised to park at the spot.
The affected stretch forms a part of the ongoing NH-53 rebuilding and widening project.