Chhatrapur: Hours after a gas tanker and a police vehicle met with accidents near Chhatrapur on NH-16 in Ganjam Wednesday, a truck driver died at the same spot after his vehicle overturned. The mishaps have been attributed to poor visibility owing to dense fog.
According to an eyewitness, local police had blocked both sides of the national highway apprehending any probable danger of gas leakage after the first accident. Another truck which was trying to move out of the accident site overturned following which the driver of the vehicle died.
Earlier in the day, a gas tanker overturned on NH-16 near Tampara. In the second incident, five policemen including sergeant Sanjay Barik who were on their way to the gas tanker accident site were severely injured, after the vehicle in which they were travelling overturned on the NH-16 while trying to save a motorcyclist from a clash.
Odisha Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Pradeep Kumar Jena, meanwhile, responded to the three recent road mishaps and issued an advisory for controlled vehicular movement on highways.
The three accidents occurred in Ganjam district owing to dense fog. However, the India Meteorological Department had earlier issued an alert over dense fog which said, ‘likely to occur in some Odisha districts’.
Police, as well as transport officials of respective districts in Odisha, have been instructed to take necessary steps at their ends.
PNN