BHADRAK: At least two people were killed and 38 injured when a tourist bus rammed into a stationary paddy-laden truck on NH-16 near Barikpur in the district on Wednesday.
Sources said the bus, carrying pilgrims on ‘Char Dham’ yatra, bearing registration number UP-51-AT-1489, was enroute to Puri from Gorakhpur district in Uttar Pradesh. Police and fire service personnel reached the spot after the mishap and rushed the victims to the district headquarters hospital here.
Bhadrak Collector Gyana Ranjan Das said while two passengers-Vidya Master and Tilak Misad of Gorakhpur succumbed to their injuries at the hospital, the condition of seven is stated to be critical and they were shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
The rest received minor injuries in the mishap. The district administration is providing all possible help to the people injured in the accident and will bear their treatment cost, he said.
In a separate incident, at least four persons including two patients were injured when an ambulance hit another emergency vehicle from the rear on NH-16 near Dahanigadia Chowk within Bhadrak Town police limits in the morning. Both the vehicles were reportedly carrying patients suffering from paralysis from Devada near Kolkata to SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack when the mishap occurred.
Sources said one of the ambulance drivers took a turn and hit the other to avoid a trailer that was crossing the road. The injured were initially taken to the district headquarters hospital and then shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital as their condition worsened.