BHAWANIPATNA: Five members of a family died and two others critically injured when a car collided head-on with a truck near Jaring on NH-26 on Wednesday morning. The family belongs to Khursaliguda village in Kalahandi district.
The deceased are Ashutosh Behera (58), Jagannath Behera (55), Binayak Behera (32) and two girl children Sobhi Behera (4) and Sivia Behera (1). Injured Nivea Behera (25) has been shifted to Visakhapatnam and another injured Khenji Kata (60), who works as a domestic help in the Behera family, has been admitted to Bhawanipatna Government Hospital. Ashutosh was driving the car.
The family had been to Vishakhapatnam for health check-up and returned by train to Kesinga early in the morning. From there, they were returning home in their car when a speeding truck rammed into the car. All the five were killed on the spot.
Ashutosh being an influential person of the village, a large number of people visited the family when news about the deaths reached Khurseliguda. Mortal remains of the deceased were consigned to flames in the noon.