2 killed as speeding truck rams into bullock cart in Ganjam

Berhampur: Two childhood friends were killed when the bullock cart they were travelling in was hit by a speeding sand-laden truck coming from the opposite direction in Ganjam district’s Patapur police station limits in the early hours of Thursday.

One of the bullocks, which was pulling the cart, also died on the spot, while another sustained injuries, police said.

“Deceased, identified as Nath Jena, 55, and Bijay Gouda, 57, both residents of Pratapagiri, had gone to a nearby forest area to collect bamboo. The incident took place while they were returning to their village. As the truck rammed into their bullock cart, they were thrown off the vehicle under its impact, and sustained severe injuries,” said a police officer.

Both of them were rushed to a nearby hospital at Adapada, where the doctors declared Jena dead. Gouda was shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital here, where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.

Patapur inspector-in-charge Dipti Ranjan Behera said the sand-laden truck was seized and its driver detained for investigation. The bodies were handed over to their family members after postmortem.