BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR: The homecoming of migrant workers from Surat took a tragic turn on Saturday evening, when one of the buses carrying them met with an accident at Kalinga Ghati in Kandhamal district, killing two persons and injuring several others. The bus reportedly hit a roadside barricade on the circuitous hilly terrain of the Eastern Ghats and dashed into the sidewall. Fortunately, it did not overturn, which could have had far serious consequences.
Kandhamal SP Prateek Singh said, two persons who were sitting on the front left side came under direct impact of the collision. They were thrown out of the door. Chitaranjan Sethi, a native of Soroda, was run over while the injured Tapan Sethi of Buguda in Ganjam district, succumbed later in the hospital. Singh said, initial investigation suggests the bus was carrying 65 passengers.
The bus, which left Surat on April 30, was not accompanied by any escort vehicle of the administration and driving in a terrain like Kalinga Ghati proved difficult for a driver not acquainted with the route. Migrant workers, including women and children, were travelling in the bus to reach their homes in Aska, Soroda, Buguda and Seragada. Sources said the remaining passengers were rescued and isolated. They will be taken to Bhanjanagar in another vehicle.
In a separate incident, a person died in a bus on way from Surat to Ganjam. He was found unconscious inside the vehicle at Raipur and rushed to a local hospital where he was declared brought dead. The deceased Prakash Gouda was working with a textile mill in Surat. He was reportedly unwell for some time. Sources said the bus halted for some hours in Raipur and left for Ganjam on Saturday evening.