Kendrapada: One person was killed and two others were severely injured when an ambulance crashed into a truck from behind at Rathia Chowk on NH-16 in Jajpur district early on Saturday.

The deceased, identified as Achutananda Barik, was the ambulance's helper.The accident occurred while the ambulance was returning from SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, to Dasarathpur in Jajpur district after dropping off a patient."Initial investigation suggests rash driving as the cause of the accident," said Ranjan Kumar Majhi, IIC of Dharmasala police station. The truck driver fled the scene, and police are reviewing CCTV footage from nearby locations to identify the vehicle. The injured — ambulance driver Kailash Panda and pharmacist Tapas Patra — were initially rushed to the community health centre (CHC) at Dharmasala. Due to his critical condition, Patra was later transferred to SCB Medical College and Hospital. Police seized the damaged ambulance and sent Barik's body to the district headquarters hospital in Jajpur for post-mortem.