At least five persons died and over 30 passengers sustained injuries after the bus they were travelling in skidded off a flyover on NH-16 near Barabati in Jajpur on Monday.
Responding to the mishap, Additional Commissioner Transport/(Road Safety), Lal Mohan Sethi on Tuesday said that the accident happened due to negligence of the bus driver.
"The condition of the bus was good as its registration was done in 2020. Fitness certificate was also cleared for the bus in March. The accident may have happened due to either rash driving or the driver tried to overtake any vehicle from the left side; or, the driver may have been talking over phone while driving the bus, but it is not clear as of now. The driver didn't even apply brakes," said Sethi.
He further said that there was no engineering deficiency. "As five persons have died in the accident, a criminal case will be filed against him. And, an exemplary action will be taken after investigation to ensure no drivers resort to such negligence in future," he added.
The bus was carrying over 40 passengers and was en route to Haldia from Puri . Following the mishap, Fire Services personnel and locals launched rescue operations. The injured were initially sent to Dharmasala CHC.
As per the latest update shared by the SCB Cuttack authorities, the condition of five injured passengers is critical and they are in ICU while 27 people have already been discharged after treatment.
Also Read | Bus Falls Off Flyover in Odisha, 5 Dead & Several Injured
Following the mishap, Odisha government announced ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh each for the kin of the deceased.