Bhubaneswar: A powerful Nor’wester storm that swept through Odisha capital on Saturday afternoon triggered a series of road accidents, resulting in one fatality and multiple injuries amid disrupted traffic across key areas of the city.
A 21-year-old youth lost his life and a 29-year-old man sustained grievous injuries after their scooter skidded on a wet road and was run over by a truck near Rasulgarh-Palasuni Square on the National Highway around 4 pm. The deceased has been identified as Aditya Naulla, while the injured, Dibyansh Chhalina, a resident of Cuttack, was rushed to Capital Hospital for treatment. The duo were friends and were into transport business.
According to sources, the accident took place as the speeding truck reportedly lost control and rammed into the scooter from behind. A road patrol team and personnel from Mancheswar police station immediately reached the spo. The victim’s body was shifted via a PCR vehic
le, and the injured was transported by ambulance. The collision caused substantial traffic congestion on the highway, which police later cleared after managing vehicular movement.
In a separate accident reported shortly afterward on the flyover near Saheed Nagar Police Station, a truck crashed into the rear of a bus.
The twin accidents occurred in the aftermath of Nor’wester, which brought strong winds, rain, and slippery road conditions that likely contributed to reduced visibility and vehicle control issues. Police have registered cases and initiated investigations into both incidents to determine the exact causes, including possible roles of speed, weather impact, and driver negligence.
The severe Nor’wester accompanied by rain and hail, which continued for less than half-an-hour, uprooted trees, damaged vehicles, disrupted power supply and causing waterlogging in several areas. Several uprooted trees and branches blocked busy roads near Kalinga Stadium, Jaydev Vihar, Nayapalli police station, Old Town and other parts of the city. Hundreds of personnel from the Odisha Fire Services and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force were deployed to clear the roads.
Uprooted trees also crushed several parked vehicles in areas like Bhoi Nagar, Kalinga Stadium, Jaydev Vihar and Nayapalli. A car was damaged in Jaydev Vihar after a hoarding fell on it.
Electricity infrastructure was also damaged, leading to disruption in power supply in Dhauli, Balianta, Mancheswar, Laxmisagar, VSS Nagar, Jayadev Vihar, Brit Colony, IRC Village, Paika Nagar and Raghunathpur.