Hyderabad driver among three killed as bus with pilgrims hits truck in Odisha

Baripada(Odisha): Three persons died, one of them unidentified, and 20 others were injured when a bus carrying 23 pilgrims from Hyderabad rammed into a truck on NH18 in Baripada in Mayurbhanj district in Odisha at around 5 am.

Betnoti police station house officer SHO Sushmita Mohanto said the driver was suspected to have dozed off while at the wheel, leading to him ramming into a truck. said, “We are still trying to find out what the real cause of the mishap is. For now, we are waiting for the families of the deceased to come so that we can send the bodies for postmortem and an investigation would be carried out accordingly.”

According to Bijay Kumar Das, DMO, district government hospital, Baripada, “23 people were travelling in the bus bound to Gaya in Bihar. Out of the 23, 19 are undergoing treatment and four are okay. Out of the 19, thre succumbed to their injuries, while 16 are still undergoing treatment. Around 4-5 patients are critical and their families have been called from Hyderabad.”

Two of the deceased were identified as B. Kanti, 64, and T. Uday, 45. The bodies would be sent to Hyderabad after postmortem. Meanwhile, he said that the ones critical have suffered severe leg fractures and head injuries.

A case has been registered under Section 281, 125a, 125b and 106 of the BNS, SHO Sushmita Mohanto revealed.