In a heartrending incident, as many as 21 persons died and 39 others were injured after a tractor in which they were travelling skidded off the road and fell into a gorge at the Upara Anchalbadi ghat in Rayagada district’s Kalyan sighpur area on Friday.
The injured persons were rushed to the Rayagada District Headquarters Hospital. The victims, all from the Hiranpadu area, were returning from a wedding reception from Seriguma when the tragedy occurred.
The speeding engine of the tractor got separated from the rear carrier after one of the vehicle’s tyres deflated and both the engine and carrier fell into the gorge.