Champua: Three members of a family were killed, and another sustained critical injuries after a Mahindra Thar SUV crashed into a roadside tree near Rajia under Champua police limits in Kendujhar district while they were on their way to a hospital Wednesday night, police said.
The deceased were identified as Bhaskar Apat, 55, Kainphula Apat, 60, and Trilochan Apat, 60, all residents of Sujupala village under Jhumpura police limits.
The injured, Ranjit Apat, 35, is undergoing treatment at the Kendujhar District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the area.
According to police, the family was travelling to the Champua Sub-Divisional Hospital from Rimuli after one of them fell ill.
Near Rajia, the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle and rammed it into a large tree on the roadside at high speed at around 10 pm.
The impact was so severe that it crushed the front portion of the vehicle, trapping all four occupants inside.
Fire services personnel, police and local residents carried out a prolonged rescue operation before shifting the victims to the Champua SDH.
Doctors there declared Bhaskar dead on arrival, and referred three others to the Kendujhar DHH due to the severity of their injuries.
However, Kainphula and Trilochan succumbed to their injuries during treatment. Champua police registered a case (277/26) and launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.