Bhubaneswar: In a tragic accident, a woman and her four-year-old son lost their lives after the bike they were traveling on was hit by a speeding coal-laden truck on National Highway 55 near the new over bridge underpass at Nuahata under Banarpal police limits in Angul district on Thursday afternoon.
The deceased have been identified as Manisha Rathore and her son, Harshat Rathore. Manisha died at the scene, while Harshat succumbed to his injuries during treatment at the district headquarters hospital in Angul.
According to reports, the Rathore family was on their way to Banarpal when the truck struck their bike from behind. Manisha’s husband, Rohit Rathore, who was also riding the bike, sustained serious injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at the hospital.
Rohit, a native of Chhattisgarh, works at Tata Steel and resides with his family in the company’s residential colony.
The accident led to tension in the area as locals blamed poor infrastructure, particularly the construction of a drain along the highway by the national highway authorities, for the incident.
Police reached the spot to manage the situation, pacify the agitated locals, and recover the bodies for post-mortem. The coal-laden truck has been seized, and an investigation into the accident is underway.
