Rourkela: A second-year student of the National Institute of Technology Rourkela lost his life and a girl student was critically injured after a dumper truck allegedly collided head-on with their scooter near Samar Dari square on National Highway 143, close to Rajamunda under Lahunipada police limits in Sundargarh district on Saturday.
The deceased has been identified as Karthikeyan Senthil Krishnan, a second-year student of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering. The injured student, Basanti Kartik Narayan (19), is undergoing treatment in Rourkela and is reported to be in critical condition.
According to preliminary information, a group of 16 students — 10 boys and 6 girls — had set out on eight rented scooters to visit the scenic Khandadhar Waterfall. While they were passing through Samar Dari square on NH-143, a dumper truck coming from the Rajamunda side reportedly collided head-on with one of the scooters approaching from the opposite direction.
The impact left Karthikeyan, who was riding the scooter, and pillion rider Basanti grievously injured at the spot. Fellow students immediately alerted the police, following which a team from Lahunipada police station reached the accident site and rushed the injured to Lahunipada Medical in an ambulance.
Doctors at the hospital declared Karthikeyan dead on arrival. After receiving preliminary treatment, Basanti was shifted to a medical facility in Rourkela for advanced care.
Police have seized the dumper truck and the damaged scooter from the scene. An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the circumstances leading to the accident.
