JHARSUGUDA: Five police personnel were killed and three others sustained critical injuries when an SUV in which they were travelling collided head-on with a trailer truck on National Highway-49 in front of the Jharsuguda Sadar police station in the early hours of Sunday.
The accident occurred at around 3.50 am when the eight-member team was returning to Jharsuguda after attending a colleague’s marriage reception in the Lakhanpur-Rengali area. The SUV was reportedly hit by the trailer, laden with iron rods or stone chips, leaving the vehicle mangled. Five of the passengers reportedly died on the spot.
The deceased were identified as home guard Bhaktabandhu Mirdha (43) of Kumarbandha in Banharpalli block, APR constables Kashiram Bhoi (33) of Sareipali under Lakhanpur block and Debadatta Sa (43) of Tangarpali under Lakhanpur block, APR havildar Lingaraj Dhurua (56) of Lakhanpur village and drill sub-inspector Niranjan Kujur (58) of Gidhapahadi village in Sundargarh district. They were declared brought dead at the Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital.
The injured APR constables Akash Kumar Naik and Dubraj Mirig along with sergeant Rajib Bharasagar were initially admitted to the district headquarters hospital. While Naik’s condition is stated to be stable in the DHH, Bharasagar and Mirig have been shifted to a private hospital in Bargarh for advanced treatment.
The trailer driver, Gobinda Chakrabarty, a native of Similinabad in Katni district of Madhya Pradesh, also sustained injuries and was referred to VIMSAR Burla.
According to police, the locals were the first responders to the accident after they woke up to the sound of the collision. They informed the local police and rushed to the spot. They managed to rescue five persons from the completely mangled SUV and shift them to the hospital. Fire service personnel also arrived on the spot and rescued three others trapped inside by cutting the vehicle using power tools.
Jharsuguda SP GR Raghavendra, additional SP Madhusikta Mishra and other senior officials visited the accident site and the hospitals to assess the situation and ensure proper medical care for the injured.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep grief over the loss of the policemen’s lives and announced Rs 5 lakh ex gratia from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for the kin of each deceased. Jharsuguda MLA Tankadhar Tripathy and district collector Kunal Motiram Chavan also expressed grief over the incident and assured all possible assistance to the bereaved families.
The trailer driver has been arrested. Police said a detailed investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the accident, including overspeeding or possible driver fatigue.