A 22-year-old man from Odisha was killed and seven others were injured after a pickup van carrying a wedding party overturned on the Manoharpur-Rourkela road in Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district late Thursday, according to police and the Times of India report.
The deceased was identified as Sankit Kujur, a resident of Sargigarh in Odisha’s Sundergarh district. He was travelling with 15 other people after attending a wedding procession in Harta village under Anandpur block.
The crash occurred near Khajur bridge when the vehicle overturned while negotiating a narrow bend. The report said the driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle. Police have not yet established the exact cause of the accident.
Sankit became trapped beneath the vehicle after it overturned. Local residents pulled him out and took him to the Manoharpur community health centre, where doctors declared him dead on arrival.
His father, Robin Kujur, 40, was among the injured and was undergoing treatment along with six others. The other injured passengers were identified as Alix Lakra, 24; Polish Dhan, 33; Samit Kujur, 24; Pratap Minz, 21; Patras Barwa, 21; and Purno Minz, 19.
The crash highlights the risks faced by passengers travelling on roads that include narrow bends and bridge approaches, although the police have not attributed the accident to road design or any specific infrastructure failure. The available account also does not establish whether speeding, vehicle condition, visibility, road surface or driver fatigue played a role.
Manoharpur police station officer-in-charge Amimul Ekka said the exact cause of the accident was under investigation. The statement leaves the circumstances of the overturning open pending the police inquiry.
The Manoharpur-Rourkela road connects settlements across the West Singhbhum–Odisha border region and is used by local residents travelling between villages and nearby towns. In this case, the passengers were returning from a wedding procession in Harta village when the vehicle overturned near Khajur bridge.
The immediate response involved local residents who removed Sankit from beneath the vehicle and transported him to the community health centre. The injured passengers, including his father, remained under treatment at the time of the report. Further details on their medical condition and the police investigation were not available in the supplied account.
