2 killed, 3 injured as car rams into roadside tea stall

Bhubaneswar: Two men were killed and three others critically injured after a speeding SUV lost control and rammed into multiple vehicles before ploughing into a roadside tea stall at Press Chowk in Gajapati Nagar on Monday evening.Police identified the deceased as Santosh Behera, an electrician, and J Ekka, husband of a senior govt official. The injured were first taken to a private hospital and later shifted to Capital Hospital. Till late night, the SUV’s driver has been on the run.The accident occurred along Press Chowk–Railway Stadium road when the speeding SUV first hit an auto‑rickshaw, a car and two motorcycles before crashing into a group of people at the tea stall.

Police were trying to ascertain whether Behera and Ekka were present at the tea stall or inside the vehicles.“The SUV came at a dangerous speed and smashed everything in its path. People were screaming and running for safety. It was utter chaos,” said Prasakash Mohanty, a witness.Police seized the vehicle, which was badly damaged. “We are trying to reconstruct the sequence of events and ascertain how many people were inside the SUV. Efforts are on to trace the driver,” said an officer of Maitree Vihar police station.