BHUBANESWAR: Two women were killed and as many others, including a man, sustained grievous injuries after being hit by a bus in front of Krishna Tower near Nayapalli underpass in the early morning hours of Sunday.
The deceased were identified as Gitanjali Rana (29) and Jhuna Mandal (42), and the injured are Pradeep Jena and Sunita Meher. Police have arrested the bus driver Murshad Ali in this connection and seized the vehicle.
Police said the bus bearing Cuttack registration number was en route to Puri from Kolkata. The bus was heading towards Baramunda to drop off a few passengers when the accident occurred at around 6 am.
Initial investigation revealed Rana and another woman were out on a morning walk and were attempting to cross the road when on spotting the approaching bus, they returned midway. However, the bus driver coincidentally also steered the vehicle in the same direction to save both of them.
As a result, the bus hit Rana, rammed into a stationary car and ran over Mandal, a domestic help who was going to her workplace. The two women died on the spot.
Jena and Meher sustained serious injuries in the accident and were shifted to a hospital. The stationary car, which was hit by the bus, was mangled in the crash.
Citizens were left in a state of shock after noticing the pool of blood at the accident site. “A case was registered, driver arrested and the bus seized. Further probe into the matter is continuing,” said an officer of Nayapalli police station.