JHARSUGUDA : In a deadly crash, five employees of JSW Bhushan Power and Steel Limited were killed and 20 others sustained critical injuries after the bus in which they were travelling collided head-on with a coal-laden truck on Sambalpur-Jharsuguda Biju Expressway on Friday evening.
The deceased were identified as Rajendra Tiwari, Sher Bahadur, Brijpal Singh, Pankaj Jha and Vikash Kumar. The incident took place at around 6:30 pm near Sarbahal within Jharsuguda Town police limits.
Sources said a bus of JSW carrying around 60 passengers was on way to the plant when a coal carrying truck coming from the opposite direction rammed into it. The impact of the collision was so severe that the bus was dragged for some metres.
While Tiwari, Bahadur, Brijpal were killed on the spot, 20 other injured passengers sustained critical injuries. They were rushed to Jharsuguda district headquarters hospital (DHH) where Jha succumbed. Four of the injured employees were shifted to VIMSAR, Burla and three to Samleswari nursing home where Kumar died.
The driver of the truck fled after the accident. While police have started their investigation, Jharsuguda Collector Saroj Kumar Samal visited the DHH and checked on the injured passengers.
