A speeding coal-laden truck on Sunday hit a tea stall shop at Raghunathpur Bazaar on the Cuttack-Paradip road, 10 km from here, as a result of which the tea stall’s woman vendor Sasmita Rout died on the spot and another person was seriously injured and then shifted to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack.
Soon after the accident, an irate mob staged road blockade at the mishap site and demanded compensation to the families of the victims. Traffic movement on the busy highway was stalled. Police personnel and a magistrate rushed to the site and held talks with the agitators. The district administration sanctioned Rs 10,000 from the Red Cross fund and promised to provide further financial compensation to the deceased’s kin. Then the road blockade was withdrawn and the police were allowed to go through legal formalities.