8 Pilgrims to Ghatagaon Tarini Killed, 7 Injured as Van Hits a Truck in Keonjhar

Keonjhar: At least 8 persons died and seven others were seriously injured when the van in which they were travelling hit a truck from the backside near Balijodi on NH-20 on Friday morning in Odisha’s Keonjhar district. The ill-fated passengers of the van were from the Ganjam district on their way to Ghatagaon Tarini temple. The deceased include, four men, three women and a child.

The deceased as well as the injured were inhabitants of the Pudamari area in the Ganjam district. According to police sources, their speeding van hit a parked truck from the backside. The accident occurred at a distance of only three kilometres from the temple they were to visit.

The injured were admitted to the Keonjhar District Headquarters Hospital. Three of them were shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as their condition deteriorated.

It is suspected that poor visibility because of dense fog at early morning may have led to the accident. Police have started investigation into the incident to ascertain the reason behind the accident.