Bhubaneswar: A road accident on National Highway 16 near Uttara Chhak in Bhubaneswar claimed lives of three persons – two women and a student – in the early hours of Monday.
According to sources, the accident occurred around 6 am close to Uttara KEC College, where 53-year-old Bibilata Sahu and 36-year-old Rojalini Sahu, both residents of the Uttara area, were struck by a speeding SUV traveling from Bhubaneswar toward Puri. The women had reportedly stepped out for their routine morning walk when the vehicle hit them.
Eyewitness said the car was traveling at over 150 km/h at the time of impact. After striking the pedestrians, the driver allegedly lost control, causing the vehicle to ram into an electric pole, overturn, and plunge into a nearby drain. One among the occupants of the SUV, both students of a private university in the state capital, also died on the spot.
Speaking to the media, the injured student, Himanshu Kumar, said that his friend lost control over the vehicle as they were proceeding towards Puri for darshan of the sibling deities at Shree Jagannath Temple. “I was changing the music when the vehicle overturned. I tried to break the window glasses. Locals came to my rescue,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pipili police and Fire Services personnel reached the spot and seized the vehicle.
All three bodies have been shifted to Capital Hospital in Bhubaneswar for postmortem and further procedures.
