The mangled auto at Ghatikalua junction in Berhampur. Picture by Gopal Krishna Reddy

Berhampur, Nov. 7: Vehicular traffic on National Highway 5 at Ghatikalua, around 12km from here, was disrupted for three hours today as an irate mob blocked the road following death of a two persons in an accident.

Kameswar Sahu, 40, and his son Sunil, 12, were killed and seven others, including Shakuntala, 35, wife of Kameswar, injured when a private bus hit the autorickshaw, in which they were travelling, from behind, said M. Dambaru Reddy, sarpanch of Kottharsingh gram panchayat.

The deceased were returning to Bhaliagada village from Esaneswar Shiva temple after performing puja on the occasion of the last Monday of the holy month of Kartik, which is considered as an auspicious day.

All the injured persons, who hail from Bhaliagada village, were rushed to MKCG Medical College and Hospital here.

While the deceased Kameswar Sahu was a tailor, all the other injured were the daily labourers, the Kottharsingh sarpanch said.

The autorickshaw was half-a-km away from the village when a private bus on its way from Berhampur to Palasa in Andhra Pradesh dashed it from back. “We were about to reach our village when the autorickshaw’s tyre burst and the bus hit our auto from behind. It happened so sudden that we did not get any chance to escape,” said Shakuntala.

Following the accident, the local residents resorted to rasta roko (road blockade) demanding compensation. They also smashed the windscreen of the bus and scuffled with police when they were asked to clear the road.

“More than 400 people resorted to rasta roko and many vehicles had been stranded on both sides of the National Highway for three hours,” said inspector in-charge of Golanthara police station Radha Charan Patnaik.

The blockade was lifted after the local tehsildar announced Rs 5,000 financial help for each deceased from the Red Cross Fund. The tehsildar has also assured rehabilitation of the bereaved family under the National Family Benefit Scheme.

Moreover, the bus owner gave a compensation of Rs 40,000 to the deceased’s family.

The drivers of both the bus and autorickshaw absconded from the spot.