BHUBANESWAR : Two horrific road accidents, both involving Mahindra Thar SUVs, claimed lives of four youths, including an 18-year-old, in the city within 24 hours on Wednesday.
In the latest incident, three youths in their 20s died after their Thar rammed into a stationary trawler truck in Pitapalli area under Info Valley police limits in the evening.
Initial investigation revealed the truck was parked on the side of NH-16 when the SUV drove right into it from the rear end, speeding at over 100 km per hour. The impact of the collision was so strong that the car was mangled.
Unconfirmed sources said four persons were traveling in the ill-fated SUV. Odisha Fire and Emergency Service personnel were mobilised to the spot to pull out the occupants of the Mahindra Thar. The injured were rushed to Khurda district headquarters hospital. “Preliminary probe suggests the accident occurred after 9 pm.
Three of the occupants of the SUV succumbed,” said Zone III ACP Tapas Pradhan. While two youths died on the spot, one more succumbed in the hospital. The fire fighters had to use hydraulic cutters to retrieve two dead bodies at the accident site.
Hours earlier, a crash between a Mahindra Thar and Royal Enfield Bullet bike left an 18-year-old dead. Two other bike riders, injured in the mishap, were admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar.
The incident took place at about 11.40 pm on Tuesday near Capital Hospital Square. Driver of the SUV fled the scene. Such was the impact of the collision that the Mahindra Thar dragged the Royal Enfield Bullet to a distance.
While 18-year-old Raja Pediny died at the spot, his friends Abhimanyu Champati and Ganesh Sahoo were seriously injured. Pediny was a resident of Old Town area.
The Mahindra Thar was registered in the name of Pradyumna Biswal, a contractor. He fled the scene after the mishap while Subham Kumar Das, who was in the vehicle, was detained.
Das claimed before police that Biswal was driving the SUV. However, a senior officer of Capital Police station said investigation would ascertain who was behind the wheels when the accident took place.