Dhenkanal: A coal-laden truck rammed into an auto-rickshaw killing five people on the spot here on Sunday morning. The tragedy occured near Patharakhamba chowk between Parjang and Kamakhyanagar.
The deceased were identified as Anant Samal, Prahalad Samal, Adikand Samal, Ankur Samal and his son Dibyaranjan Samal. They were natives of Bangura village travelling to Muktapasi for some work.
The truck’s driver and his aide fled from the spot immediately after the mishap. Palpable tension prevailed in the area with locals demanding Rs 10 lakh compensation for each of the deceased. Local police have been deployed in the area to contain any untoward incident.
The mishap occured on a busy transportation route, the NH 53 connecting Talcher with port town Paradip. Vehicular movement came to a standstill for a couple of hours following the tragedy.
Police have seized the truck and the ill-fated auto-rickshaw and send the bodies of the deceased for an autopsy to Kamakhyanagar hospital. A case has been registered against the driver and manhunt launched to nab him, the police said.
