Teacher Dies, 20 students Hurt as Bus Overturns in Odisha's Chandahandi ghat road

BHUBANESWAR: A teacher died and as many as 20 students got injured on Wednesday morning when a private bus in which they were travelling overturned at Chandahandi ghati in Odisha’s Nabarangpur.

The deceased teacher was identified as Prabhas Jena, physical education teacher of Swami Vivekananda High School, Umerkote.

According to reports, the students and along with their teachers were on their way to attend district-level sports events at Nabarangpur when the mishap occurred. The private bus carrying the teachers and students overturned while the driver was negotiating the steep turn on the Chandahandi Ghati.

The locals who noticed the mishap immediately rushed to the spot and carried out the rescue operation. They rushed the injured teachers and students to the local Jharigaon Community Health Centre.

A team of doctors from Nabarangpur also rushed to the spot to provide emergency services to the injured.

Sources said around five students sustained multiple injuries and they might be shifted to some other place for advanced treatment. On being informed by the district administration about the accident, the parents of the injured students reached the hospital after.

The local administration informed that around 30 students were on board the bus when it overturned at Chandahandi ghati.

In a similar incident at the same place last year, two students had died. Recurrent accidents occur at Chandahandi ghati due to its steep slope.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Charan Singh Meena said, “The police along with the district administration immediately reached the spot and rushed the injured to hospital. All possible support is being provided to the students and teachers who were travelling in the bus.”

Niraj Kumar Sabar, a villager, said, “As soon as we got the information about the bus mishap, we rushed to the spot. Many students were lying on the spot. A physical education teacher who had sustained grievous injuries was rushed to the hospital in a private car. However, as we got the information a few minutes before, he was declared dead on arrival by the doctors.”