Pandripani: Two motorcyclists were killed and two others critically injured in separate accidents after their bikes rammed into the same unattended breakdown truck on National Highway 326 near Katameta village in Malkangiri district, Saturday.
The deceased were identified as Suku Khila and Bhima Khila, both residents of Kankadi village under Sindhrimal panchayat in Malkangiri block.
According to police, they were heading to Gobindapalli to attend a local fair Saturday night when their motorcycle crashed into the stationary truck. They died on the spot.
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Earlier in the morning, two other youths travelling toward Jeypore were seriously injured after their motorcycle collided with the same truck, which had reportedly been left abandoned on the roadside for two days following a breakdown.
The injured were first taken to the Malkangiri District Headquarters Hospital and later shifted to SLN Medical College and Hospital in Koraput. Their identities have not yet been confirmed.
Angered by the fatalities, family members and local villagers staged a road blockade on the highway from 6am to 10am Sunday, demanding compensation for the victims’ families.
The protest disrupted traffic for nearly four hours, leaving several vehicles stranded.
Senior officials, including Malkangiri SDPO Dibyaranjan Dalai, police IIC Regan Kindo, and Mathili Tehsildar Manasi Bhoi, reached the protest site and persuaded the agitators to withdraw the blockade. The protest ended peacefully.
Police said the bodies of the deceased were sent for post-mortem and an investigation is underway.
PNN
