At least three persons were killed, and three others seriously injured when a speeding car ran over several people having tea on a roadside stall after hitting multiple vehicles in Bhubaneswar, police said on Tuesday (June 16, 2026).

The mishap took place in the Gajapati Nagar area under the Maitree Vihar Police Station limit, on the road connecting Acharya Vihar to Nalco Square in the city, on Monday (June 15, 2026) night.

A speedy EV crashed into several two-wheelers and an auto-rickshaw on the road before ramming into a group of people who were having tea near a roadside stall.

While two persons identified as Jeyrom Ekka and Santosh Behera succumbed to injuries on Monday (June 15, 2026) night, another person, Laxmidhar Tudu, died during treatment at a hospital here on Tuesday (June 16, 2026) morning. Three other persons were admitted to hospital, the police said.

Meanwhile, police identified the driver of the vehicle as Anil Kumar Gouda (30) of the Gangapur area in Ganjam district. He has surrendered before police. "A breath analyser test conducted on the driver showed a zero alcohol reading, indicating that he was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of testing," the police said.

However, during preliminary examination, the accused driver stated that he had consumed cough medicine and was experiencing severe coughing before the accident. According to his statement, he lost control of the vehicle due to a sudden bout of coughing, the police said.

The police, however, said the exact cause and circumstances of the accident will be determined after completion of the investigation and examination of all available evidence.