Raipur, May 18 Three young men were killed as a motorcycle collided with a harvester in Chhattisgarh's Sakti district.
One of the youth was decapitated, even as all three suffered severe dismemberment in the road accident on Saturday night.
The harvester driver fled the scene and remains at large.
The accident occurred near a petrol pump on the Mission Chowk-Pihrid main road, within the jurisdiction of Malkharauda police station.
Speaking to IANS, Malkharauda police station in-charge Satrupa Taram said, "The accident occurred at around 7.30 p.m. on Saturday, killing three people on the spot.
One of the victims, Hemu Chouhan, was decapitated after striking the sharp cutter attached to the front of the harvester.
The other victims have been identified as Nageshwar and Sher Singh. They were returning home to Satgarh after attending a party in Raigarh when the accident happened on the Mission Chowk main road.
The tragedy resulted from the harvester driver's negligence in failing to detach the sharp cutter after harvesting paddy. The machine continued moving through a residential area with its hazardous front attachment intact, creating a deadly threat to commuters, the officer said, adding Nageshwar and Sher Singh were residents of Satgarh, while Hemu Chouhan was from Sonmudha village.
"The driver fled the scene and remained unidentified, although the harvester has been seized and a separate police team is on the hunt for him," the officer said.
Following the incident, enraged villagers stormed the police station, demanding swift justice.
The police pacified them, and the traffic jam was cleared.
The families of the victims have demanded compensation from the harvester's owner.
Senior police authorities also arrived at the scene and initiated an investigation, stating that a thorough investigation has been initiated.
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