Berhampur: At least five persons were killed and three sustained injuries after a speeding truck crashed into three motorcycles on the railway overbridge near Haladiapadar here on Saturday. While four of them crushed were crushed under the wheels of the truck, another person succumbed to his injuries on the way to MKCG Medical College and Hospital here.
The deceased were identified as Surya Narayan Panda, 41, of Ayodhya Nagar here, Sibaram Jena, 35, of Gunthubandh, Jaga Nahak, 20, and Rakesh Nahak, 22, of Phulta and Satya Narayan Bej of Khariaguda near Jarada.Sources said the truck was travelling on the wrong side of the road when it crashed into the motorcycles and ran over the bikers. The impact was so severe that the helmet of one of the deceased was smashed under the truck. Vehicular traffic halted for several hours on NH-16 following the accident.Police and fire personnel rushed to the spot after getting information, recovered the bodies, rescued the injured and shifted them to hospital. Police cleared the traffic after shifting the truck.SP (Berhampur) Saravana Vivek M said the truck was seized and its driver detained. “The exact cause of the mishap will be known only after interrogation to the driver,” he said. After conducting a post-mortem examination, the bodies were handed over to the family members of the deceased.CM Mohan Charan Majhi expressed condolences to the bereaved and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the family members of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF). He also ordered better treatment of the injured. Commerce and transport minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena ordered for an inquiry into the cause of the accident. He expressed grief over the incident and consoled the family members of the deceased.
