Jajpur/Chadheidhara: At least four contractual labourers were killed and five others were critically injured when a van carrying them collided with an iron-laden truck on Chandikhole-Duburi National Highway-53 at Baunshadera in Jajpur district Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Rama Chandra Swain (43) of Betamali Sasan, Gangadhar Pradhan (28) of Pachhukhandi, Prafulla Behera (50) of Satamana and Basant Sahu (45) of Batiganga. They were engaged at Tata Steel plant in Kalinganagar.
The van, carrying the labourers to Kalinganagar industrial area, collided with a 10-wheeler truck, Jenapur police station IIC, SK Das said.
While three of them died at the spot, another succumbed to injuries at Dharmasala hospital, he said, adding the van driver fled with minor injuries.
All the four injured persons were taken to Dharmasala hospital with the help of locals.
One of the critically injured Niranjan Pradhan of Antia was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on the advice of doctors, police said.
The truck driver was trying to flee but locals detained him and handed him over to Jenapur police. Police seized the bodies and sent them for post-mortem.
Sources said the labourers earned their living by working in various industrial units in Kalinganagar.
They boarded a Tata Ace van from Barabati for Kalinganagar little knowing what fate had in store for them.
Locals held the RTO officials at Chandikhole responsible for the mishap. They alleged the RTO officials never verified the fitness and registration of the vans and do not act on overloaded trucks plying on the highway from nearby stone quarries as well as from Joda and Barbil. PNN