The crushed truck at Barahagoda in Bargarh on Monday. Telegraph picture

Sambalpur, Nov. 7: The Bhubaneswar-Balangir Intercity Express today rammed into a truck at an unmanned railway level crossing near Barahagoda in Bargarh district, 45km from here.

The truck driver, Rabi Narayan Bariha of Kandapali at Atabira in Bargarh, was severely injured and admitted to VSS Medical College and Hospital in Burla.

The eyewitnesses said the driver was alone in the truck when the accident took place. The vehicle was going to a rice mill located on the other side of the railway crossing. The driver could not know the position of the train and tried to cross the unmanned railway crossing. The train hit the back portion of the vehicle. The truck has been completely damaged.

Srikant Pradhan, a passenger, who was travelling in the train, said: “We heard a loud thud. The train driver also applied brake to stop it. As the train stopped, we came out of the train to see what had happened. We saw the truck was lying damaged and found the truck driver seriously injured. The train stopped there for more than 30 minutes.”

“Railway authorities should think of deploying staff in these unmanned railway crossing. Few months ago, a train had rammed into a tractor here. Again few years ago, 15 people had died, as a train hit a Bolero at Bhanger railway crossing in Bargarh. That was also an unmanned level crossing. It’s time that the authorities should seriously think about this problem,” said Sushil Meher, a resident of Bargarh.

“The accident took place at 12.50pm. The driver of the truck has been injured in the accident. He has been admitted to VSS Medical College and Hospital at Burla. Another engine was arranged for the train in Bargarh station,” said an official of Sambalpur railway division.