Jaleswar: In a tragic incident, three men and around 40 cows were killed after a cattle-laden truck overturned on NH-60 near Basta bypass square here in Balasore district on Thursday morning.
Two other persons believed to be the staff of the vehicle have been trapped beneath the overturned truck.
The incident took place when the vehicle carrying around 100 cattle was moving towards West Bengal from Bhadrak. The truck hit an SUV on the highway and overturned.
Police and fire services personnel reached the spot and launched rescue operation with the help of local residents.
However, it is yet to be known whether cattle were being illegally trafficked or not.
Collector K Sudarsan Chakravarthy rushed to the spot and discussed with the locals.
"I have asked the RTO and police to investigate the incident which occurred in the morning. The Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO) and his team are present hear. They have rescued the injured cattle and taken them for treatment. The injured cattle will be kept at a nearby gaushala," Collector K Sudarsan Chakravarthy said.
(Edited By Rashmi Ranjan Mohanty)