8 killed in road accident in eastern India

At least eight people were killed and two others seriously injured in a head-on collision between a truck and an auto-rickshaw in the eastern Indian state of Odisha Saturday, a senior police official said.

"The accident took place at Chandol in the state's Jagatsinghpur district this morning when the victims were returning to their native Machhagaon village after attending a religious ritual in nearby Nemala in the auto-rickshaw," police officer Rajnikant Mishra said.

While seven people, including a minor, died on the spot, another succumbed to his injuries at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack city, where two others are currently being treated, the official said, adding "their condition is serious."

Eye-witnesses told cops that the truck was travelling at high speed at the time of the accident and the driver of the vehicle fled immediately leaving it behind.

Local residents blocked the Jagatsinghpur-Machhagaon Road, demanding adequate compensation for the family of those killed and those injured in the collision as well as the arrest of the truck driver. They later dispersed after getting assurances from senior police officials.

"A probe has been ordered into the incident and efforts are on to track down the truck's driver," the police official said.

India has the highest number of road fatalities in the world. More than 400 people are killed in accidents daily, according to official statistics. The road accidents are often caused due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)