BARIPADA: A 55-year-old woman was crushed to death after a speeding pickup van crashed into a roadside shop, causing a wall to collapse on her in Bahalda area of Mayurbhanj district on Thursday.
The deceased was identified as Chhabirani Dutta, the owner of the shop. The mishap took place at around 5 am near NH-220 at Banadunguri village.
Sources said a pickup van was heading towards Rairangpur town at high speed. The driver reportedly lost control of the van and rammed it into Dutta’s tea and betel shop located near the highway. The woman was preparing to open the shop when a wall collapsed on her due to the impact of the crash. She suffered grievous injuries in the incident.
On hearing the loud sound of the crash, locals rushed to the spot and rescued Dutta. The critically-injured woman was shifted to Bahalda community health centre where doctors declared her dead.
The van driver fled the spot after the mishap. On being informed, Bahalda police reached the accident site for investigation. Police seized Dutta’s body for postmortem and the van involved in the crash.
It is suspected that rash driving was the reason behind the mishap. A case has been registered and efforts are underway to trace the van driver and nab him, said police.