Post News Network
Khurda, July 3: Three persons were killed while five others sustained critical injuries when a Scorpio they were travelling in lost control and had a head-on collision with a truck near Badapokharia on Calcutta-Madras National Highway 16 here Sunday.
The mishap took place at around 8.30 AM when a family from Ganjam district and their relatives were returning from Swargadwar in Puri. The deceased were identified as Pradeep Patnaik (52), of Tulsinagar in Berhampur; his brother-in-law Rabindra Das (52), of Bhabani Nagar; and Asish Nayak (23), of Haridakhandi Badabazaar in Krishnanagar.
The injured included Digapahandi NAC vice-chairman Pradipta Kumar Patnaik (45), who owned the SUV; Aditya Das (22), Shankar Das (22), Aditya Kumar Patra (27) and driver Pradeep Kumar Dora (25). They were taken to the district headquarters hospital and then shifted to a private hospital in Bhubaneswar as their condition deteriorated.
Jankia police seized the truck and the Scorpio and began an inquiry after registering a case. The bodies of the deceased were handed over to their families after post-mortem.
Sources said Pradeep and his relatives had come to Puri to cremate his father Shyam Sundar Patnaik (77), who died Saturday, at Swargadwar. They left for home in four vehicles, including an ambulance, Sunday morning.
While two vehicles had already left for home, seven persons including Pradeep, his brother-in-law Rabindra, his son Aditya, his friend Aditya Patra, Asish Nayak and the driver were occupying the Scorpio, and the ambulance was following them. Rabindra, another son of Shankar, was riding a bike.
Since a motor vehicle inspector (MVI) was checking vehicles on the NH, many vehicles were stranded on the road. So the Scorpio’s driver took a shortcut and the bike followed the SUV. When the SUV and the bike were crossing a road near Sunei Rupei Square of Badapokharia, the SUV lost control and hit a freight truck head-on. Seven occupants of the Scorpio were injured in the collision. Three of them were declared dead the district headquarters hospital.