At least 3 killed, 20 injured in bus-truck collision in Odisha

At least three persons were killed and 20 others injured on Tuesday, 2 January after the bus in which they were travelling collided head-on with a truck in Odisha's Cuttack district, police said.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the death of three persons in the accident and announced an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh to the next kin of each deceased.

The accident took place on Cuttack-Chandbali road near Katarapada around 7.30 am in Nischintakoili block when the bus with 60 passengers on board collided with the goods vehicle, a senior officer said.

“Drivers of both the vehicles and a passenger were killed in the accident. Two deceased were from Kendrapara district, while the identity of the truck driver is yet to be ascertained. The truck is from Rajasthan,” Cuttack collector Narahari Sethy said.

Teams of fire brigade stations and police personnel rushed to the spot and rescued the passengers trapped inside the damaged bus.

The injured passengers were admitted to Nischintakoili Hospital, and 11 of them, who were critically injured, were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack, an official said.

Several passengers, who sustained minor injuries, have been discharged from Nischintakoili Hospital, while three persons are still "under observation", the collector said.

“Despite dense fog with low visibility, the bus was running at a high speed. My sister and I were near the driver's seat. My sister was trapped inside the bus and died when she was being shifted to SCB Medical College,” Archana Barik, a passenger, said.

Speaking to reporters, transport commissioner Amitabh Thakur said the preliminary investigation revealed that the accident happened due to dense fog.

The transport department officials and the SP are on the spot and conducting an inquiry, he added.