BHUBANESWAR: A 32-year-old man and 14 cows were killed after a cattle-laden truck overturned on Saturday morning in Odisha's National Highway-16, which has gained notoriety in the recent past for illegal cattle trafficking.
According to reports, nearly 50 cows were being transported from Begunia to Kolkata on NH-16, where the incident occurred at 3:10 am. The driver of 10-wheeler truck lost control of the vehicle and rammed onto the parapet wall of the Madhupatna over-bridge.
Seven cows sustained severe injuries were taken to a local veterinary hospital.
Due to the impact of the accident, the helper of the truck fell onto the road and came under the wheels of the vehicle. He died on his way to hospital.
“Police have seized the vehicle but the driver managed to escape. The accident took place at a distance of 100 metres from the Madhupatna Police Station where a case has been registered in this connection,” inspector-in-charge JK Dalei said.
Post beef-ban, illegal cattle trafficking has been rampant in the State. The traffickers use NH-16 as a convenient gateway for transporting cows to West Bengal for slaughtering.