Berhampur: Two youths died and three others were critically injured when two motorcycles collided head-on near Podakhari under Sorada police limits in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Monday morning.
The deceased have been identified as Gurudev Pradhan from Gobindpur village and Balia Mallik from Chancharapalli village.
According to sources, the accident took place at around 4 am when they were returning home after watching Danda Nach, a folk dance festival celebrated during Chaitra month. A Fire Services team rushed to the spot on receiving information and rushed them to the Community Health Centre at Sorada, where doctors declared two persons dead. The injured, Gayatri Mallik from Sorada, Pintu Mallik from Bahagapalli, and Jitu Sethi from Lathipada, were later shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital due to the severity of their condition.
Sorada police have seized the bodies and launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash.
In a separate but related incident reported just a day earlier in Dhenkanal district, three Danda Nacha performers (danduas) were electrocuted and two others critically injured while erecting a tent for the festivities in Patala village under Balimi police limits. The victims came into contact with a low-hanging live 11 kV power line during preparations. The deceased were identified as Milan Mahalik (34), Laxmidhar Sahu (24) from Bido village, and Sudhakar Sahu (40) from Patala village. The two injured have been shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
