A couple died after their car skidded off NH-53 at Gadagaon village under Paradip Lock police station in Jagatsinghpur district. The accident occurred around midnight when the vehicle went off the highway and entered a deep water-filled excavation pit.
The deceased were identified as Bibhuti Bhusan Das, 60, and his wife Pratima Das, 58. Bibhuti had worked as an engineer in the marine department of Paradip Port and had retired on August 31, shortly before the accident.
According to the preliminary police account, the couple was returning to their home in Paradip after visiting relatives at Nimidi village. Their car reportedly hit a road divider, after which the driver lost control and the vehicle veered off the highway into the water-filled pit.
Police said preliminary findings indicated that the two remained trapped underwater for several hours and died of asphyxiation. Their bodies were recovered and sent to Biju Patnaik Memorial Hospital in Paradip for post-mortem examination as authorities investigated the circumstances surrounding the accident.