Keonjhar: Seven persons were killed and 18 others were critically injured in separate road accidents in Keonjhar and Kalahandi districts Wednesday, police said.
Five people were killed and nine others critically injured when a speeding truck ploughed into a wedding procession in Keonjhar district in the early hours of Wednesday, police said.
The incident happened a few metres from the bride’s house at Sathighar Sahi, near National Highway 20.
The deceased included the groom’s nephew and three persons of Sathighar Sahi village, Town Police Station Inspector-in-Charge Sunil Kar said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced an ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased and free treatment for all the injured.
The injured were admitted to the local government hospital while two persons were shifted to a hospital in Cuttack.
The incident sparked tension in the area with the villagers resorting to road blockade. They alleged that the administration was not taking measures to stop road mishaps on that stretch.
In another incident, two persons were killed and nine others injured when a jackfruit-laden pickup van fell into a 40 feet deep gorge at Dhulughati in Kalahandi district.
Inspector in Charge of Jaipatna police station, Basudev Chatria, said that the vehicle was proceeding from Patrapur of Nawarangpur district to Jaipatna.
The accident took place when the driver lost control over the vehicle, Chatria said.
The injured were admitted to a government community centre at Jaipatna, police said.
PTI
