BARIPADA (ODISHA): At least four persons were killed and three others sustained critical injuries in a road mishap on National Highway 18 in Mayurbhanj district on Friday.
Police sources said the mishap took place near Agria under Baisinga police limits when a Baripada bound bus collided with a truck laden with iron rods coming from the opposite direction.
The deceased have been identified as Anindya Sidharth Mohapatra (34) of Waligang, Sukanti Soren (35) of Tulasichaura under Baripada town police limits, Ranjan Patra (18) of Bajratundi village and Samray Hembram (37) of Rajabasa under Baripada Sadar police limits.
Police personnel from Baisinga and firefighting team from Betnoti rushed to the spot and rescued the injured passengers trapped inside the bus.
The injured persons were rushed to Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital at Baripada and later one among them was shifted to Cuttack's SCB Medical College and Hospital as his condition deteriorated.
"The bus carrying 25 passengers was heading towards Baripada from Bhubaneswar. The iron rods in the speeding truck pierced the right side of the bus killing four passengers on the spot," said a police official Krushna Chandra Palai.
A police investigation is on to ascertain the cause of the accident. Though the iron rod laden truck has been seized, its driver and helper managed to flee after the mishap.
The bodies have been sent for postmortem and a case has been registered in this connection.
In another accident, eight passengers of a bus were injured after the vehicle skidded off the road near Banrpal in Angul district. The injured persons have been hospitalised.