Two killed in road accident in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: Two persons, including an 11-year-old boy, were killed on Tuesday in a road accident in Panikoili in Odisha's Jajpur district.

The deceased were identified as 11-year-old Sivananda Mahapatra and 21-year-old Puja Sahu.

Local sources said the deceased along with their family members were going to Puri by an auto rickshaw to have a 'darshan' of Lord Jagannath. A speeding van hit their vehicle from behind on National Highway 16 near a petrol pump in the Panikoili police station area at around 4 a.m.

“Two persons died on the spot while our police staff with the help of locals rushed other injured persons to Jajpur District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) for treatment.

"The doctors at the DHH later referred two others to the SCB medical college and hospital, Cuttack for advanced treatment. We have identified the vehicle involved in the accident and the accused driver will be apprehended soon,” said Inspector incharge of Panikoili police station.

“As many as seven persons have died in separate road incidents at the spot in this year. However, the administration has not taken any step to either put any signage or evict the roadside vendors at the spot,” locals alleged.