Balasore: Two persons died in a road accident on National Highway 16 (NH-16) near Talanagar bridge under Soro police limits in Odisha’s Balasore district in early hours of Thursday.
According to sources, the accident occurred around 4.20 am when a truck transporting potatoes from Kolkata in West Bengal to Bhubaneswar dashed against another truck, which was attempting to overtake, and struck the di
vider after the impact, causing it to overturn. The driver and helper were thrown off the truck along with the potato sacks and were trapped underneath them.
Police and fire services teams arrived after receiving information from highway patrolling team. A rescue operation was carried out with the help of local residents and the injured were taken to a hospital at Soro, where doctors declared them brought dead.
“We arrived at the accident scene alongside the fire services team after receiving information from highway patrol officers. The identities of the deceased is yet to be ascertained. We are currently working to clear the roadway using cranes to remove the damaged trucks and scattered potato cargo. Initial investigation points to negligence by truck driver,” said a police officer.