Berhampur: A trailer carrying iron rods plunged nearly 30 feet down at Bada Ghati along National Highway-16 at Khallikote in Odisha’s Ganjam district early on Wednesday.
Sources said the crash at around 1 am left the driver critically
injured and raised fresh concerns about safety on the busy highway. The injured driver has been identified as 30-year-old Haider Ali, a native of Bihar, who is battling for his life.
The trailer was travelling from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to Kolkata in West Bengal when the mishap took place. Eyewitnesses reported that the heavy vehicle veered off the steep ghat section before overturning and tumbling down the slope.
Highway patrolling police immediately reached the spot, rescued the driver and rushed him to a hospital at Khallikote for urgent treatment. Traffic was temporarily disrupted on the road till the debris was cleared.