3 die as car rams into auto

Angul: In a tragic accident, three persons died and two others were seriously injured when a speeding Innova rammed into an autorickshaw and plunged into a paddy field at Khandahata chowk, 5 km from Angul, on Saturday.

The deceased were identified as Bansidhar Sethi (62), his wife Kamala Sethi (55) and auto driver Mantu Muduli (30). The injured Sunita Sethi (30) and her son Sai Sethi (12) have been admitted in SCB Medical at Cuttack. The driver of the car fled the spot after the accident. According to police, Bansidhar along with his wife, daughter-in-law and grandson had come to Angul district headquarters hospital for a medical check-up. Bansidhar belonged to Karanda village in Dhenkanal district. As they were returning home in the afternoon, the car, coming from the opposite direction, ploughed into their auto and dragged it into the paddy field. The auto passengers were trapped in the vehicle and three of them died on the spot.

Locals informed the police and fire personnel who rushed to spot and recovered the bodies and rescued the injured persons. A case has been registered in Sadar police station.