BERHAMPUR: Two persons were killed when a speeding truck rammed into their parked pickup van near Pitala Chowk in Ganjam district on Thursday. The victims have been identified as Sumanta Gantayat (31), the driver of the van, and Ajit Badatya (29), a vegetable trader, both from Sundarapalli village under the Dharakote police limits. According to sources, the men were loading vegetables at Bhandaribasa to deliver to Berhampur and had stopped at Pitala to pick up more when the accident occurred.
The truck hit the van with such force that the cabin was pushed inward. Following the collision, the truck fled the scene. Police arrived shortly after and used equipment to cut open the van, but both men were found dead at the spot. The bodies have been sent for autopsy, and a search is underway for the absconding truck driver.