Rourkela: Police on Monday arrested a truck driver whose vehicle crashed into a roadside tea stall on NH-520 near Jamudih toll gate in Sundargarh district, killing three people and injuring two others on Sunday evening.
The accused, Poresh Bankira (54) from Jharkhand, was driving an iron ore-laden truck when he allegedly lost control of the vehicle while trying to avoid hitting a truck parked on the road. The speeding truck rammed into the tea stall and overturned, spilling iron ore and destroying the establishment.
Following the accident, Bankira fled the spot and he was detained later on Sunday.
“We have arrested the truck driver responsible for the deaths and injuries. A separate case has been registered against the driver of the parked truck that contributed to the accident,” Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani said.
Among the deceased were tea stall owner Sambari Mundari (29) and two truck drivers who were having tea at the shop. They were identified as Arun Kumar Ravi (29) from Jharkhand and Jitendra Dhurw (42) from Chhattisgarh. The injured include Mundari’s 14-year-old niece Sunita Munda, who sustained serious injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at Rourkela Government Hospital, and Ranjeet Chakrabarti (33), Mundari’s husband, who suffered minor injuries.