Kendrapada: : Five members of a wedding party, including four women, were killed and nine seriously injured after a Bolero they were traveling in crashed into a stationary truck on NH-53 at Barada Chhack under Jenapur police limits in Jajpur district on Monday morning.Fourteen people were returning to their village after attending a wedding in Keonjhar district when the accident took place, police said.The deceased were identified as Malati Munda (14), daughter of Ratnakar Munda; her mother Balema Munda (35), Kanda Purty (45), his wife Gita Purty (38), and one Namita Nayak (35), all from Sasanpur-Ostampur village under Barachana police limits. The injured have been admitted to hospitals in Barachana and nearby areas, said IIC, Jenapur police station, Manoranjan Sethi.Preliminary probe suggests rash driving led to the crash around 5am. Police have seized both the mangled Bolero and the truck. Bodies were later handed over to the families after postmortem, police added.Locals rushed to the spot after hearing the loud impact and helped rescue victims from the wreckage. “We pulled out passengers trapped inside the vehicle,” said Narendra Behera, a resident of Barada Chhack.Residents alleged that unauthorized parking of heavy vehicles on the highway contributed to the accident. “Illegal parking on NH stretches continues unchecked, posing a serious threat to commuters,” said Mahendra Jena, another local.CM Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh from the CMRF for the next of kin of each deceased.
