Bhubaneswar: Five people were killed and eight injured when a speeding truck rammed three motorcycles in Odisha’s Ganjam district on Saturday afternoon, police said, adding that the driver fled the scene but was later arrested.
The accident took place at Gosain Nuagaon overbridge. The truck hit three motorcycles coming towards Haldiapada. (Representative photo)The accident took place at Gosain Nuagaon overbridge. The truck hit three motorcycles coming towards Haldiapada.
The injured were taken to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the truck was driven in the wrong direction, Inspector General of Police (Southern Range) Niti Shekhar said.
“The driver fled after the accident. We have nabbed him. The driver will be medically examined soon,” he added.
On receiving the information, the fire service personnel and the police team quickly reached the spot and removed the damaged vehicles and normalized the traffic on the overbridge.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief over the loss of life and announced an ex gratia ₹4 lakh has been given to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.
The accident comes amid continued concern over road safety in the state. According to 2024 accident data released by the Department of Commerce and Transportation, overspeeding accounted for 7,269 road accidents and 3,846 deaths, while wrong-side driving accounted for 470 deaths in 1,103 accidents. Drunk driving and drug use accounted for 317 deaths in 838 accidents, mobile phone use while driving accounted for 235 deaths in 585 accidents and red light jumping accounted for 35 deaths in 88 accidents.
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Data shows that in 2024 55% of all accidents and 56% of fatalities occurred on national and state highways. Two-wheelers were involved in the highest number of accidents — 5,490 accidents resulting in 3,017 deaths — followed by cars, taxis and LMVs (1,796 accidents and 739 deaths), and trucks and lorries (1,296 accidents and 607 deaths).
Over 47,000 people have died and over a lakh have been seriously injured in road accidents in Odisha in the last decade. On an average, 16 people lose their lives every day on the state’s roads, placing Odisha among the highest accident severity rates among states.
