Mayurbhanj, Sep 15: In a heart-wrenching incident that has cast a pall of grief over Mayurbhanj district, a son died in a road accident while transporting his father’s body home for cremation.

The deceased, Subha Prakash Nayak, was the only son of Gopabandhu Nayak, a former BJP vice-president of West Mayurbhanj district.

Gopabandhu Nayak (65), a resident of Mituani village in Thakurmunda block, had been suffering from high blood pressure and had collapsed outside his newly built home three months ago. His son had taken him to SCB Medical College in Cuttack for treatment, but he passed away during medical care.

On Sunday, Subha Prakash was accompanying his father’s body back to their native village in an ambulance. Around noon, the ambulance halted near Madhapur on the Panikoili–Jajpur Road stretch. Shubh stepped out to fetch water from a roadside shop when he was struck by a speeding pickup van while crossing the road. The impact left him with multiple fractures in both legs and one arm.

He was rushed to Jajpur Road Health Centre for first aid and then referred to SCB Medical College, Cuttack. Tragically, he succumbed to his injuries before reaching the hospital.

The double loss of father and son has plunged the local community into mourning. Prominent leaders including Minister Ganesh Ram Singh Khuntia, MP Ananta Nayak, MLA Padma Charan Haiburu, and former minister Bishweswar Tudu expressed deep sorrow and paid tribute to the deceased.

The family conducted the final rites of both father and son at Swargadwar in Puri, marking a devastating end to a day of unimaginable grief.