Rourkela: Two labourers lost their lives and three others, including the driver, sustained serious injuries after a pickup van loaded with tiles overturned on National Highway 143 near the Biratola roadside rest house under Chandiposh police station limits in Sundargarh district on Saturday.
According to reports, the pickup van was en route from Rourkela to Bonai when the driver lost control, causing the vehicle to overturn. The two deceased labourers were reportedly sitting on top of the tile load when the mishap occurred.
The injured were immediately shifted to Lahunipara Community Health Centre (CHC) with the assistance of an ambulance from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Police on reaching the spot, seized the vehicle, and launched an investigation into the cause of the accident. The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the locality, with residents demanding stricter enforcement of road safety norms on the busy highway.
