Six of family killed in road accident in Odisha's Keonjhar

Bhubaneswar, May 16 (IANS) Six members of a family were killed in a road accident on the National Highway-520 at Champua in Odisha's Keonjhar district, said officials on Thursday.

The accident happened late Wednesday evening when the car lost control and rammed into a stationary truck.

"Their car lost its balance due to the sudden application of brake and rammed into a stationary truck near Rimuli under Champua Police limits. Another speeding truck following the car hit it from behind. All the family members, including three women and a six-year-old girl, died on the spot. The accident happened due to overspeeding by the drivers of both the vehicles," said a police official.

The deceased were identified as Phulanti Palai, Sanjay Mahakud, Lucy Palai, Sandhya Mahakud, Pihu Mahakud, Pramod Palai of Barbil area of Keonjhar district.

The deceased family members, who originally hailed from Taramakanta village in the Banspal block area, were residing at the Bhadra Sahi area under the Barbil police station. The family was going to their native village in Bansapal block in a car on Wednesday evening.

The bodies were recovered from the badly mangled car by using the gas cutter and were sent to a nearby hospital for post-mortem.