Three killed, three injured as car runs over people after ramming into several vehicles in Bhubaneswar

Representative image. | Photo credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto

At least three people were killed and three others seriously injured when a moving car ran over several people drinking tea at a roadside stand after being hit by several vehicles in Bhubaneswar, police said on Tuesday (Jun 16, 2026).

The mishap took place in Gajapati Nagar area under Maitree Vihar police station limits, on the road connecting Acharya Vihar to Nalco Square in the city, on Monday (June 15, 2026) night.

The speeding electric car crashed into several two-wheelers and an auto-rickshaw on the road before crashing into a group of people drinking tea at a roadside stall.

While two persons identified as Jeyrom Ekka and Santosh Behera succumbed to their injuries on Monday (June 15, 2026) night, another person, Laxmidhar Tudu, died during treatment at the hospital on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) morning. Three other people were taken to hospital, police said.

Meanwhile, police have identified the driver of the vehicle as Anil Kumar Gouda (30) of Gangapur area of ​​Ganjam district. He surrendered to the police. “The driver’s breath test showed zero alcohol, indicating that he was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the check,” police said.

However, during the preliminary examination, the accused driver stated that he had taken cough medicine before the accident and was experiencing severe coughing. According to his statement, he lost control of the vehicle due to a sudden coughing fit, police said.

However, the police said that the exact cause and circumstances of the accident will be determined after the investigation is completed and all available evidence is examined.

Published – 16 June 2026 12:30 PM IST