CUTTACK: Two persons were killed and 15 others, including women and children, sustained injuries after the bus in which they were travelling collided head-on with a truck on Cuttack-Paradip State highway near Parabil within Kissan Nagar police limit here on Friday morning.
The deceased were identified as truck driver Malaya Behera of Kedareswar in Choudwar and bus helper Gyana Sahoo of Malisahi in Nayagarh. All the 15 injured, most of whom belong to Niladri Vihar and Chandrasekharpur areas in Bhubaneswar, have been admitted to SCB Medical College and Hospital.
Sources said around 65 picnickers from Niladri Vihar were on their way to Gorakhnath and Sarala shrines in Jagatsinghpur in a private bus. At around 7 am, the bus collided head-on with the Cuttack-bound truck and veered off the main road before turning turtle.
On being informed, local police and Fire Service personnel rushed to the spot and started rescue operation with help of locals. “The bus could not be lifted with a JCB machine. We rescued the injured picnickers by breaking open the door and windows,” said Kissan Nagar IIC Prabhas Chandra Sahu.
Meanwhile, the district administration has directed SCB authorities to provide free treatment to the injured picnickers. The hospital authorities too have made special arrangements to treat the injured in the Trauma Care unit.