IN a horrendous road accident, three youths were killed and ten others sustained serious injuries when a speeding Scorpio vehicle collided with a roadside tree near Mardoom village on the Lohandiguda-Barsur road late Tuesday night. As per the information, the Scorpio, carrying 13 youths from Gariaband district who were on a tour of Bastar, met with the accident after the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. The impact of the collision was so severe that several occupants were thrown out of the vehicle, while others were trapped inside the mangled remains. All the ten injured youths were rushed to the Lohandiguda Government Hospital for immediate treatment, from where they were later referred to the Medical College Hospital due to the seriousness of their injuries.

 

Providing details, the Mardoom Station House Officer said that the group had embarked on a sightseeing trip and had first travelled to Visakhapatnam, followed by Jagannath Puri. They reached Dantewada on the evening of February 2 and visited the Maa Danteshwari Temple on February 3. After that, the group proceeded towards Barsoor and was returning late at night when the mishap occurred near Mardoom. The deceased have been identified as Rupendra Netam, Khileshwar Netam, and Ramratan Thakur, all residents of Gariaband district. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination and later handed over to the families on Wednesday morning. The bereaved families have been informed. The Mardoom Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the cause of the accident.