Sambalpur (Odisha), Jan 18 (PTI) Four workers from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were killed and another was injured on Thursday after a truck ran over them when they were sleeping in an agricultural field in Odisha's Bargarh district, police said.

The accident took place in Birjam village under the Melchhamunda Police Station limits when the four labourers, engaged in borewell drilling work in the farmland, were crushed to death by the pipe-laden truck, a senior officer said.

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"After completing their work, the labourers went to sleep under the ruck. The driver was unaware of the presence of the labourers and drove the vehicle. Three of them died on the spot," he said.

Another labourer succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the Bargarh District Headquarters Hospital, he said.

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The deceased were identified as Fagan Singh Dhube (34), Vishnu Mervai (23), Shankar Adabasi (21) and Rajesh Kumar Netam (20), the officer said.

Damarbale Hira, a native of MP, who was seriously injured in the accident, is undergoing treatment at Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VIMSAR), Burla, he said.

The truck has been seized and the driver has been identified.

The bodies have been sent for post-mortem examinations and further investigation is underway, he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)