One person was killed, and five others sustained injuries in two separate road accidents in Odisha’s Balasore district on Wednesday, according to police reports.
A school peon lost his life after being struck by a truck in the Telipali area of Nilgiri block.
Following the accident, hundreds of angry students from Telipali High School and local villagers staged a road blockade on the main highway, demanding adequate compensation for the victim’s family. The protest led to significant traffic disruptions in the area.
Protesters alleged that the accident was caused by the reckless driving of the truck driver hired by a local contractor for ongoing road repair work.
Police rushed to the spot after getting information and cleared the blockade. Police have initiated an investigation into the matter.
In another accident, five people sustained injuries, two of them seriously, after a car in which they were travelling rammed into a container truck on NH-16 near Talanagar in Soro police station area.
All the injured have been admitted to Soro hospital. Of them, two injured were later shifted to Balasore district headquarters hospital for better treatment.
The Kakatpur-bound car coming from Kuliana in neighbouring Mayurbhanj district hit the container and rolled into a roadside ditch.
Police and NHAI officials rescued the injured persons.
The container driver fled the spot, and a manhunt has been launched to nab him, another police officer said.
