Jajpur, Apr 8 (PTI) Khurda district's assistant collector Ashwini Kumar Nayak and his driver were injured after a speeding truck rammed into their SUV on Tuesday, police said.

The incident happened on NH-16 near Mulapala Chhak in Kuakhia police station area in Jajpur district, they said.

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Nayak was travelling to Balasore from Bhubaneswar when the incident happened, they added.

The driver of the truck fled from the scene with his vehicle, police said.

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Locals rescued both Nayak and his driver from the severely damaged SUV, and took them to the nearby Dharmasala Community Health Centre. They were later shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack due to the severity of their injuries, officials said.

Police said they have begun an investigation into the incident.

"We have collected some CCTV footage from the area and are reviewing it to identify the truck involved in the accident. We have also seized the damaged SUV," said Chinmayee Sahoo, the inspector-in-charge of the Kuakhia police station.

(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)