Bhawanipatna: Two persons, including a woman, were killed and 10 others injured after a pickup van carrying them fell into a gorge in Kalahandi district on Tuesday.
According to sources, around 50 villagers of Barsikona and Mandichua villages under Sindhipadar panchayat of Rampur block had gone to Kalampur to collect their monthly quota of PDS rice in the morning. They were returning in the pick-up van after getting their rice.
On the way, while they were crossing Singari Ghati, the driver of the van lost control in a sharp turning and the vehicle plunged into the gorge. Two villagers, identified as Lalu Majhi and Dumer Majhi died on the spot.
On being informed by the locals, ambulance and Fire Brigade rushed to the spot from Kalampur. The Fire personnel rescued around 10 seriously injured persons from the gorge and admitted them in Community Health Centre (CHC) at Kalampur.
Later, five of the injured were shifted to district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna as their condition deteriorated.
A team from Thuamul Rampur police station led by IIC Govind Majhi also went to the spot and sent the two bodies for post-mortem. They have seized the ill-fated van and launched an investigation into the mishap.
