Two young athletes from Odisha, Mrutyam Jayaram Dondapati and Malaya Barik, died in a road accident on the Cuttack–Bhubaneswar National Highway near Phulnakhara late on Wednesday night, IANS and Sambad English reported.

Sambad English said the accident took place at around 10.30 pm and that both athletes were rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, where doctors declared them dead. IANS reported that the two lost control of their two-wheeler and rammed into roadside barricades on the highway near Phulnakhara.

Both athletes were training at the High Performance Centre at the Kalinga Stadium Sports Complex in Bhubaneswar. IANS described Dondapati, who hailed from Kalahandi district, as among the country's fastest Under-23 sprinters in 2025, and said Barik was from Bargarh district.

According to IANS, the group was travelling towards Cuttack to attend a Sambalpuri Melody orchestra programme held on the occasion of Durga Puja when the accident occurred.

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep grief. In a post on X quoted by both reports, he said: "Deeply saddened by the tragic demise of athletes Mrutyam Jayaram Dondapati and Malaya Barik in a road accident. Their untimely passing is a profound loss to Odisha's sporting fraternity. My heartfelt condolences to their bereaved families." Odisha Sports and Youth Services Minister Suryabanshi Suraj also condoled the deaths.