JAJPUR: Five people were killed after a multi-utility vehicle (MUV) rammed into a Hywa truck from behind near Barada Chhak on the Daitary–Paradeep Express Highway under Jenapur police station limits in Jajpur district on Monday.
Police said the deceased included two women and a child. All the victims were residents of Purusottampur–Sanjaya Nagar village under Badachana police limits.
According to police, 12 persons, including three women and two children, were returning home in a Bolero after attending a wedding in Keonjhar. The accident occurred around 9 am when the vehicle crashed into the rear of the truck. The impact was so severe that the Bolero got lodged under the truck.
Five occupants died on the spot, while seven others sustained critical injuries. The injured were initially admitted to Dharmasala and Badachana Community Health Centres (CHCs) and later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital as their condition worsened.
Police have sent the bodies to a government hospital for postmortem.
Jenapur police station IIC Nirupama Jena said the victims were returning from a wedding in Keonjhar when the accident occurred. The truck driver fled the scene, and a case has been registered. An investigation is underway.