At least seven members of a marriage party were killed as the SUV they were travelling in plunged into a Sasan irrigation canal in the Sambalpur district in the wee hours of Friday.
The victims, all hailing from the Jharsuguda district, were returning from a marriage ceremony when the accident took place at around 2.30 am. Their bodies were later fished out from the water body, the police said.
There are clues to suggest that the driver of the SUV dozed off while driving and lost control of the vehicle leading to the mishap. It is also apprehended that the driver might have lost sight of the road due to foggy weather conditions resulting in the fatal accident; police said adding that an unnatural death case has been registered in this connection.
In another road fatality, three motorcyclists died late last night when their bike rammed into a roadside tree near Patharagaon village under Odagaon police station jurisdiction in Nayagarh district, police said.