BERHAMPUR/BHUBANESWAR: A collision of three vehicles set off a chain of mishaps which left five persons dead and 13 others injured at Samarajhola Chowk under Hinjili police limits in Ganjam district early on Thursday morning.
The accident occurred around 5 am when a bus, travelling from Aska to Berhampur, collided head-on with an oil tanker. The impact caused both vehicles to crash into a roadside tea stall. Three persons who were having tea, a bus passenger and helper of a truck parked at the scene died in the resultant mishap.
The collision was so severe that the tea stall was completely destroyed, and three people inside were crushed under the overturned vehicles which blocked the road leaving traffic movement impacted.
Eyewitnesses said, the truck driver had parked the vehicle and gone for tea while the helper was securing ropes at the back of the vehicle. The oil tanker, coming from Berhampur, hit the truck, throwing the helper about 20 metres away. At the same time, the bus coming from the opposite side collided with the tanker, causing both vehicles to crash into the tea stall.
Police and fire fighters reached the spot and began rescue operation. Despite their efforts, the truck helper and three persons at the tea stall were found dead at the spot. The injured, including the bus passengers and the tea stall owner, were shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital (MCH) in Berhampur. One of the injured bus passengers later succumbed, taking the toll to five. The remaining 13 injured were admitted to orthopaedic and surgery wards, with one requiring amputation in a leg.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief and announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for those critically injured.
Transport Minister Bibhuti Jena and transport commissioner Amitabh Thakur visited the medical college and the accident site in the afternoon. Jena said the government would probe into the accident. Collector Dibyajyoti Parida visited the MCH to take stock of medical help for the victims.
The deceased were identified as Santosh Badaya, Arakhita Gouda, Panchu Gouda, and Indrajit Swain, helper of the truck. Identity of the deceased bus passenger remains unknown.