As many as four persons lost their lives in two separate road accidents occurred in Puri and Rayagada districts of Odisha on Friday.
As per reports, two motorcyclists were killed after being hit by an unidentified vehicle near Goudalelibadi Chhak under Chandili police limits in Rayagada district.
In another incident, two persons lost their lives after their motorcycle hit Trinath Mandap near Badhei Chhak on Konark-Kakatpur road on Thursday late night. While one of the victims was killed on the spot, the other person, who suffered grievous injuries, succumbed to his injuries while he was under treatment at the Community Healthcare Centre in Gop.
Both of the victims hailed from Kakatpur and were on their way back home from Konark when the mishap occurred.
The rising cases of deaths and injuries resulting from road accidents have been a major concern in Odisha. The State registered 4,738 fatalities due to road mishaps in 2020. The same year, around 5,000 suffered injuries, State Transport Minister Padmanabha Behera informed at the State level Road Safety Council meeting on Thursday.
As per the data shared by the State Transport Department, the fatality rate (death per 100 accidents) is 48 compared to the national average of 36.
However, the death rate declined in 2020 if compared to the figure of 2019 and this was due to the lockdowns and shutdowns triggered by the pandemic. The year 2020 registered an 11 per cent decline.
As per the State government, road accidents claimed a total of 5,315 lives in 2018. In 2019, the number of people killed in road accidents increased to 5,333.
The cases of people losing their lives are being reported more in districts like Jajpur, Mayurbhanj, Sundargarh, Keonjhar, Angul, Dhenkanal, Balasore, Ganjam, Cuttack and Khordha.