SAMBALPUR: An electric auto-rickshaw driver and his five-year-old daughter were killed after their three-wheeler was first hit by a speeding SUV and subsequently rear-ended by a cement mixer truck on Wednesday night.
The deceased were identified as 35-year-old Surendra Behera of Dhanupali and his daughter Subhashree Behera.
Police sources said Surendra was returning home with Subhashree in his electric auto-rickshaw late in the night. He stopped near a roadside shop at Shankara Mutt chowk under Dhanupali police limits. All of a sudden, a speeding SUV reportedly rammed into the auto-rickshaw. Moments later, a cement mixer truck hit the three-wheeler from behind, leaving the vehicle severely mangled. The SUV reportedly plunged into a nearby pond after the crash.
Local residents and emergency responders rushed to the spot and rescued the father-daughter duo from the wreckage before shifting them to Sambalpur district headquarters hospital (DHH). Shubhashree was declared dead on arrival.
Surendra, who sustained critical injuries, was initially treated at the DHH before being referred to the Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla. He was later shifted to a private hospital where he succumbed to his injuries during treatment on Thursday morning.
Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident. Efforts are underway to trace and apprehend the SUV driver who is absconding, said police.
TPWODL LINEMAN KILLED IN MISHAP
Sambalpur: A 59-year-old man was killed after being hit by a car on the main road connecting Remed chowk and Hirakud here on Thursday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Pitambar Meher of Store chowk in Hirakud. He was working as a lineman with TPWODL.
The fatal mishap took place in front of the FCI premises. Sources said Pitambar was standing at the roadside when a speeding car knocked him down, killing him on the spot. After the mishap, locals staged a road blockade demanding adequate compensation for the bereaved family. Incidentally, a board bearing the designation of deputy commissioner of Sambalpur Municipal Corporation (SMC) was found inside the vehicle. However, official sources said the vehicle had been withdrawn from the deputy commissioner’s official duty a few days ago.