A tragic accident on National Highway-26 in Balangir claimed the lives of a mother and daughter early Tuesday morning.
The victims, identified as Sunita Nag and her daughter Shruti Nag of Talpali Pada, died instantly after a truck ran over them near Gandhinagar Pada.
Sunita, who worked at a local nursing home, was heading to work around 6:30 a.m. with her daughter riding a scooter. Their vehicle slipped on a muddy patch of the highway, causing both to fall. A truck travelling from the city toward Loisingha crushed them before speeding away.
Police reached the site soon after and sent the bodies for postmortem at Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital. The truck driver fled, and police have launched a search to trace the vehicle.
The Balangir NH-26 accident has triggered widespread grief and anger across the city. Locals blamed poor road maintenance and mud deposits caused by ongoing construction work for the tragedy. Congress leaders alleged that trucks and tractors carrying soil for the restoration of 11 ponds have turned the highway into a slippery hazard, leading to frequent accidents.
Town police station IIC Avani Sahu confirmed that a case has been registered and an investigation is underway. The incident left Sunita’s husband, Dharam (Tuna) Nag, devastated after losing his wife and daughter.
