6 from Chhattisgarh family among 12 killed in 3 Odisha road accidents

BHUBANESWAR: 12 persons including 6 members of a family from Chhattisgarh died in 3 separate road mishaps in Odisha in the last 12 hours in Angul, Nuapara and Balasore districts, police said.

In Nuapara district, 6 members of a family hailing from Chhattisgarh travelling in a Maruti Alto car were killed when their vehicle hit a tree after skidding off the main road on Tuesday afternoon.

Pradip Mallick (50), his wife Basanti Mallick (45), Shatrughan Pradhan (65), Jagadish Sahu (37) and his son Manas Sahu (12), and the driver of the car Suganath Bhoi (50) were instantly killed when the car crashed against the tree at Sunsunia under Sadar block of Nuapara district on the Bargarh-Nuapara Biju Expressway.

Police said the deceased hailed from Rasoda village in Mahasamund district in Chhattisgarh. The devotees hailing from Mahasamund district in Chhattisgarh visited the famous Nrusinghanath temple in Padampur of Bargarh district in the neighbouring state to have darshan of Lord Shiva on the occasion of Maha Shivratri on Tuesday. While returning, the driver of the vehicle lost control and crashed into a tree by the roadside.

In Angul district, 5 persons were killed on National Highway -149 in the wee hours of Tuesday when the car they were travelling hit an iron ore-laden stationary truck parked near Kantiapasi. While 3 passengers in the vehicle died on the spot, two others were declared dead at a government hospital.

Police said all the occupants of the car were supporters of a sarpanch candidate. They went to Pallahada on the final day of vote counting on Monday and were on their way back home after the completion of the counting when the mishap occurred.

In a separate incident, a bus driver was killed and 10 others injured when the bus hit a truck on its rear near Sonakania on the Odisha-West Bengal border late last night.

The bus named Sonax was on its way from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata when the mishap occurred. The driver was identified as one Harihar Jena. The injured were rescued by locals and the police and they were rushed to a nearby hospital.