Keonjhar:Two elephants were killed and another sustained injuries after being hit by a speeding truck on NH-20 under Ghatagaon forest range in Keonjhar district Wednesday night.
A herd of 10-12 elephants comprising of pachyderms of different age groups had sneaked into Balijodi village and was trying to cross NH-20 when the mishap took place. The driver of a speeding truck which was en-route to Ghatagaon failed to spot the jumbos at night on the road and ended up hitting them.
Hearing the groaning of the injured jumbo Locals informed Forest Dept Officials
Forest Department officials reached the spot and initiated efforts for post-mortem of the deceased elephants and treatment of the injured.
Following the accident, the truck had also skidded off the road. The vehicle has been seized and the truck driver and helper detained by the Forest Department officials.