Bhubaneswar: A speeding truck ran over a group of nine children returning from school in Bhadrak district Thursday, killing five of them and injuring the others. While four of the children died on the spot, one succumbed to injuries in hospital, District Collector Gyana Ranjan Das said. The incident occurred at Ranitela near Rahanja Square when the children were crossing National Highway-16 on their bicycles.
Among the injured students, three have been admitted to the district headquarters hospital, while one, who has received multiple injuries, has been sent to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, said A Rashid, Chief Medical Officer of the district.
The children killed in the mishap — Satyabrat Barik, Kalpana Jena, Sweta Sahu, Sukant Sahu and Priyambada Mohanty — were all Class-IX students of Ranital High School.
According to witnesses, the accident occurred as a result of rash driving by the 10-wheeled truck driver. The driver and truck attendant took off following the mishap and are yet to be tracked. Enraged by the incident, though, people of the locality set fire to the truck. They blocked the road and demanded compensation of `10 lakh each for the children killed in the accident.
As tension rose in the area, SP Batul Gangadhar ordered deployment of 10 police platoons. W&CD minister Prafulla Samal also visited the accident spot.
CM CONDOLES: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced an ex-gratia of `2 lakh each to the families of deceased. He also announced free treatment for the injured and wished them a speedy recovery.
Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has also conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families.
Meanwhile, Transport and Commerce Minister Nrusingha Charan Sahu said the incident will be investigated and strong action will be taken against the persons found guilty. He further said the government has identified 286 blind spots on various roads of the state and measures have been taken to curb accidents at these spots.
“We will find out weather the accident spot was identified as a blind spot. If so, we will take remedial action,” the minister added.
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