Bhubaneswar, April 13: Tension gripped Rasulgarh Square following a road mishap in which an 18-year-old girl was injured as a crane hit her while she was going home. Later, she succumbed to injures at Capital Hospital.

Eyewitnesses said that the crane, coming from Vani Vihar side, lost its control and hit the girl, Sasmita Sutar, on the main road at Rasulgarh Square where construction of a flyover bridge was under way.

Sutar, who had sustained severe injuries in several parts of her body, was rushed to Capital Hospital.

Following the incident, hundreds of local people gathered at the spot and allegedly ransacked the crane. Local residents demanded early completion of the flyover bridge and deployment of adequate traffic personnel at the site.

“The ongoing construction of the fly over has led to traffic chaos in the area. Besides, the area has become vulnerable to accidents,” said Nityananda Sahu, a local resident.

However, the crane operator managed to escape from the spot. The police suspected the crane driver was under the influence of alcohol at the time of accident. On July 29 last year, two persons were killed and two others were injured after a truck driver went berserk at Rasulgarh Square in a bid to escape following a mishap. The truck had hit three motorcycles.

Local residents also alleged that despite ban on the entry of heavy vehicles, several heavy vehicles were entering into the city, which was causing frequent accidents.

“Rasulgarh Square is one of the busiest traffic intersections in the city. The police should strictly ensure that no heavy vehicles pass through the junction during peak hours,” said Bhagyarabi Jena, another local resident.

On the other hand, the police said that adequate traffic personnel were being deployed at the square for smooth traffic management.

“We had also asked the construction company executing the construction of the fly over to deploy its men as traffic marshals,” said a senior police official.