Two including car owner killed in road mishap in Odisha

BHUBANESWAR: Two persons were killed after a speeding car hit a person and then rammed into a shop along NH-16 within Itamati police limits of Nayagarh district late on Tuesday night.

Police said the deceased included the car’s owner Surjyakanta Pradhan (42) of Bolagarh and a truck driver Dwarika Prasad Harinkhede of Nagpur. Sources said Surjyakanta was returning home after attending a wedding in Nayagarh when the incident occurred. A preliminary probe suggested Surjyakanta was sitting on the rear seat of the vehicle.

The over-speeding vehicle, driven by his driver Bhubanananda Pradhan, first hit Dwarika who was returning to his truck after having tea at a nearby stall and then crashed into a concrete pillar of a shop. The impact of the collision was so strong that both the airbags on the front side of the car were deployed following the accident.

Police said Bhubanananda possibly fled after the incident. They have launched an investigation to ascertain whether he was actually driving the vehicle and if any passenger was sitting beside him on the front seat. “A case has been registered and an investigation launched into the matter. Efforts are on to identify and nab the driver involved in the accident,” said an officer of Itamati police station.