BHUBANESWAR: As many as 40 passengers were injured, including 11 of them seriously,
after a private bus drove off the road and plunged into a ditch at Sarua on National Highway 57, about 35 km from Bhubaneswar on Saturday evening.
The incident occurred on the Khurda-Bolangir highway, near Baghamari police outpost at around 7:15 pm when the bus driver lost control of the vehicle after knocking down a motorcyclist. The injured persons, including the biker, were rushed to Khurda district headquarters hospital (DHH) by locals and police.
Police sources said the ill-fated bus was proceeding towards Bhubaneswar from Nayagarh. The driver and two staffers of the bus fled from the spot immediately after the mishap. Eye-witnesses said the bus was moving at a very high speed, which led to the accident.
Sub-Collector Saroj Sahoo and CDMO Dr Sarada Prasanna Mishra rushed to the DHH and took stock of the situation. Khurda Town police have seized the bus and registered a case against the bus driver who was
to be identified.