BARIPADA: In a tragic incident late on Monday night, a home guard succumbed to injuries, and four others, including the in-charge inspector (IIC) of Udala police station, were critically injured when an ambulance collided with a police van during night patrol in Udala.
The deceased home guard, identified as Laxmidhar Mohanta (58), died on the spot. The IIC, Banamali Barik, the drivers of both the police van and the ambulance, and a pharmacist sustained critical injuries.
The collision occurred near a petrol pump in Udala town when the speeding ambulance, en route to Kaptipada from Baripada, struck the police van. The impact caused the police van to overturn multiple times before landing in a nearby field.
Local residents rushed to the rescue of the injured. Eyewitnesses said the ambulance driver was using his mobile phone while driving at high speed, leading to the accident.
The injured were initially taken to Udala CHC and later shifted to PRM MCH in Baripada. As their condition deteriorated, they were further shifted to SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack early Tuesday morning. Udala SDPO Sarthak Ray confirmed that all the critically injured are in stable condition.