4 UP tourists killed as bus overturns in Odisha's Balasore district, 22 injured
Bhubaneswar: A tragic accident claimed the lives of four tourists from Uttar Pradesh, including a woman, when the bus they were traveling in overturned on National Highway 16 in Odisha’s Balasore district late Friday night.
The tourists were en route to Puri to visit the Jagannath Temple after departing from Kolkata.
The mishap occurred near the Chalanti bypass under the Jaleswar police limits when the bus, carrying 57 passengers, rolled 20 feet off the road.
Initial reports suggest that the tourists, who began their journey from Uttar Pradesh on September 18, had been visiting various pilgrimage sites across Bihar and Jharkhand before heading to Puri. The bus had departed from Kolkata on Friday.
The deceased were identified as Rajesh Mishra, Santaram Yadav, Kamala Devi Yadav, and Rajprasad Yadav. In addition, 22 passengers sustained injuries, with 16 of them reported to be in critical condition. The injured are currently undergoing treatment at the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital.
“We left Uttar Pradesh on September 18 and have visited several places. I don't know how the accident happened as most passengers, including myself and my two family members, were sleeping at the time,” said one of the tourists who survived the accident.
Another injured passenger shared his distress, saying, “We were heading to Jagannath Dham when the accident happened. We had visited places like Gaya and were looking forward to Puri. I’m desperately searching for my father, who was asleep on the sleeper berth.”
Jaleswar Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Dilip Sahu said, “The bus overturned between 1 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. on Friday. Rescue operations were immediately launched, but unfortunately, four people, including a woman, lost their lives. Some tourists sustained minor injuries, and we are in the process of contacting their families.”
