An IT official was killed and five others were injured, some of them critically, when the car they were travelling in was crushed between two heavy vehicles on the Digha-Nandakumar Road on Saturday morning.
Police said that of the five persons who received injuries, four were IT officials and one was a driver. The deceased has been identified as Amarnath Basak (30).
The victims were all on their way to Mandarmani when the accident took place. Police said that the car somehow got trapped between a truck and an oil tanker. Local people participated in the rescue operation and rushed the victims to a nearby hospital.
After being informed of the incident, police rushed to the spot. The drivers of both the heavy vehicles had fled the scene immediately after the accident. The accident took place when the car was crossing Thakurnagar area under Khejuri police station on the Digha-Nandakumar state highway. Local residents told the police that they had heard a loud thud and had subsequently found the car smashed after being caught between two heavy duty vehicles.
They said that the car had been trying to overtake the truck when it was hit from behind by an oil tanker, presumably after the driver of the tanker lost control of his vehicle. The incident had created a huge traffic jam in the locality and several vehicles were stranded for hours along the Digha-Nandakumar state highway.
Police reached the spot and cleared the road a few hours after the incident. The traffic flow gradually returned to normal after remaining stuck for hours. The locals alleged that trucks often ply through the area at dangerously high speeds as a result of which accidents often take place.
They also staged a demonstration on the road which was later lifted following the intervention of the police. Police have registered a case and started raids to nab the absconding drivers of the two vehicles.