Odisha: Seven members of wedding party die after vehicle plunges into canal

After dinner, some of them were returning home in an SUV when the driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into Gham Canal around 2 am

Published on: Mar 31, 2023, 09:53:18 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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At least seven members of a bridegroom party were killed, while four others were injured, when the vehicle they were travelling in plunged into a canal in Odisha’s Sambalpur district in the wee hours of Friday.

The deceased have been identified as Ajit Khamari, Divya Loha, Saroj Seth, Sumant Bhoi, Subal Bhoi and Ramakant Bhoi. The identity of the seventh deceased is yet to be ascertained. The injured have been admitted to the Sambalpur hospital.

Police officials said the vehicle carrying members of the bridegroom’s family and relatives from Laddhara village in Jharsuguda district had gone to Parmanpur area under Gham police station limits in Sambalpur on Thursday evening.

After dinner, some of them were returning home in an SUV when the driver lost control and the vehicle plunged into Gham Canal around 2 am.

“We broke open the windows and managed to escape,” said a survivor.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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