SAMBALPUR: In yet another major road mishap in the State, at least 10 persons including six women and a minor girl were killed and four others injured in Sambalpur district on Monday. Though preliminary investigation ruled out human error in the accident, it has put the safety of road travel under question.
According to reports, Damodar Badhai (45) and his wife Saraswati Badhai (40) of Parmanpur village under Sason police limits had gone to offer prayer at Kalpeswar temple in Hatibari. They had also organised a feast for their near and dear ones at the temple. Eleven others of the village had accompanied the couple to participate in the feast in a van. While all of them were returning, the ill-fated van collided head-on with a truck coming from opposite direction at Bhabanipali on National Highway 55 under Jujumura police limits.
While four villagers died on the spot, the injured persons were rushed to District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) at Sambalpur. Three injured persons died on the way to DHH and three others succumbed while being shifted to the VSS Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla. The injured persons are undergoing treatment at VIMSAR.
On being informed, police rushed to the spot and brought out the bodies from the mangled van with the help of the locals and the fire brigade personnel.Sahebani Badhai, one of the injured, said the accident took place while they were returning from the temple. She was sitting in the middle seat of the van and the accident took place before she could comprehend anything, she added.
Sambalpur SP Sanjeev Arora said the truck driver, Smruti Ranjan Pradhan (31) of Madhabakula village under Niali police limits in Cuttack district, has been arrested. The truck was on its way to Cuttack from Sambalpur.
Primary investigation revealed that after one of the tyres of the van burst, the vehicle collided with the truck. However, both the vehicles will be inspected to ascertain the cause of the accident, the SP said.
Besides Damodar and Saraswati, other deceased were identified as Jamuna Nath (60) and her granddaughter Anusaya Nath (3), Sathyabhama Nath (60) and her daughter Chanchala Nath (40), Joshabanti Badhai (50), Nimai Badhai (45), Dulana Nath (50) and driver of the van Jogeswar Behera (22) of Kusumdihi village.