Bhubaneswar, March 4: Wedding celebrations took an unhappy turn when the brother of the groom was killed in an accident this morning.

The bride and four other relatives of the bride and groom suffered severe injuries in the accident that took place near Gangapada tollgate on the outskirts of the city.

Police said the deceased, identified as Mrutyunjay Sadangi, 22, an MBA student, was driving the car carrying the bride and four other members of both families when it crashed into a stationary truck near Gangapada on National Highway No. 5. They were going to Dabogaon in Nawarangpur after the wedding ceremony was held in Bhubaneswar last night.

The groom, Debadatta Sadangi, 26, an employee of a private software company in the city, was safe as he was travelling in another vehicle when the accident occurred around 6am.

The police identified the injured as Padma Charan Sadangi, 50, father of the groom, bride Rupashree Panda, 24, the bride’s relative Biswojit Sahoo, 22, groom’s relative Padmabati Kar, 24, and a child, Saian Bhatta, 5. Except the child, who was injured in the leg, others suffered head injuries and were admitted to the ICU of the neurology department of a private hospital here.

“On its way to Khurda from Bhubaneswar, the car suddenly hit the back of a stationary truck that was parked outside a dhaba. All the occupants were severely injured and rushed to Capital Hospital from where they were shifted to a private hospital. The groom’s brother, who was driving the vehicle, died in the hospital,” said inspector in charge of Jatni police station Sarat Sahu.

After the accident, the truck fled the spot. The police seized the car and have registered a case of accident. The body of the deceased was later handed over to the family members after post-mortem.

A relative said that following custom, the groom returned home in another vehicle ahead.

“The deceased was hale and hearty when he volunteered to drive the car. He could not control the vehicle, as it is possible that he was feeling sleepy. The vehicle was moving quite fast,” said the relative.

This is the second time in a month that a wedding party has met with an accident in the twin cities.

Last month, in Mahanga, Cuttack, three persons including the bride were killed after the car carrying the newly-weds met with an accident and plunged into Patamundei canal. The groom and driver escaped unhurt while the bride, her brother and the groom’s brother-in-law were killed.

Their bodies were recovered from different parts of the canal following a thorough search by the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force team.

Bike accident

In another accident, a 25-year-old was killed at Rasulgarh Square early this morning.

The deceased, Mihir Das, who hails from Erasama in Jagatsinghpur district, was driving his motorcycle when an unidentified vehicle hit his bike from behind killing him on the spot.