Keonjhar: Four persons were killed on Tuesday when the car, in which they were travelling, rammed into a roadside tree near Maidanakela village in Sadar police limits of the district.

One person was critically injured in the accident.

The deceased persons have been identified as Government Engineering College principal Kalpataru Tirthabasi Parida, Gayatri College vice-principal Chaitanya Bikash Sahu, BSNL employee of the Bengal telecom circle Prasant Kumar Patra and a Cuttack district resident Rajesh Kumar Guru.

The accident victims were returning from Rairangpur to Keonjhar after attending a religious convocation when the mishap took place.

"The car was at a breakneck speed. Following the impact of the collision, it got badly mangled. The driver might have possibly dozed off leading to the mishap. There is hint of sleep in the fatal accident," said sub-divisional police officer Sriharsha Mishra.

The rate of road accidents and fatalities is going up here alarmingly. Both the state and national highways passing through Keonjhar district have turned into death traps for motorists and pedestrians.

Road safety campaigners attributed the non-installation of traffic signals, badly maintained vehicles, reckless driving, driving under alcoholic influence, unauthorised roadside parking for the spurt in accidents.

While the district had accounted for 312 fatalities in road accidents in 2017, 187 human lives have been lost so far between January and July this year.

The police have intensified drive in keeping tabs on reckless driving and penalising motorcyclists without helmets. While Rs 10.3 lakh had been realised last year, Rs 84.2 lakh penalty was levied on motorists and bikers for infringing safety provisions under the Odisha Motor Vehicle Act this year.

Keonjhar district police have also adopted a Good Samaritan policy, under which they will provide Rs 2,000 to any person extending immediate help in shifting a road accident victim to the hospital, Mishra said.