JEYPORE: A family of three was wiped out in a devastating car crash that killed a couple and their seven-year-old daughter in Koraput district on Tuesday.
The horrific accident took place after the car in which the trio was travelling collided head-on with an acid-laden tanker on National Highway-26 near Pungar village within Pottangi police limits. The deceased were identified as Rabi Pradhan (35), Rasmita Pradhan (30) and their daughter Subhalaxmi of Jeypore town.
The mishap took place at around 7 am. Sources said Rabi, a driver by profession, had hired his employer’s car to go to his in-laws’ house at Malimarala village in Pottangi block. The Pradhan family was invited to the meeting to fix the marriage of Rabi’s brother-in-law. They were just three km away from their destination when their car collided head-on with the tanker near Pungar village.
The collision was so severe that the couple was killed on the spot. Their daughter succumbed to injuries while being pulled out of the mangled car by locals.
On being informed, Pottangi police rushed to mishap site and sent the bodies to the local community health centre (CHC) for postmortem. As the accident took place in the middle of the road, vehicular movement came to a standstill on the Visakhapatnam-Raipur NH-26. Traffic resumed on the route after the mangled car was removed from the NH.
Police said the tanker carrying acid was on way to Raipur from Visakhapatnam. Pottangi IIC Kaibalya Seth said a case was registered and the tanker and its driver have been detained. “The driver is being interrogated. Efforts are on to ascertain the exact cause of the accident. Further investigation is underway,” the IIC added.