19 killed, 30 injured as bus falls off bridge

Bhubaneswar: Nineteen people were killed and more than 30 others critically injured when a bus carrying them fell off a bridge in Angul district on Friday.

Sources said, twelve critically injured have been shifted to SCB medical college and hospital in Cuttack from Athmallick and Angul district headquarters hospital. While one Pritimanjari Nayak was airlifted from Angul DHH, eleven others were brought to the premier institution by road.

The mishap took place near Deulijhari when the bus from Boudh to Athamallik fell from a bridge at Puruna Manitri, DGP K B Singh said.

While 19 persons, including four women, were killed, 30 others sustained serious injuries in the accident, Singh said.

The deceased have been identified as Mitrabhanu Mahakud (Kundanali), Bapolin Gaigouria (Madhapur), Ratnaprabha Mendeli (Madhpur), Ratan Sahu (Kundanali), Debashish Nayak (Kundanali), Yashashwi Mahakud (Phulbani), Kalandi Manandia, Parvati Pradhan (Manarbedha), Jagmohan Chhatar (Hisani), Chapadhari Das (Madhapur), Ravindra Mahakud (Boudh), Ranilata Mahakud (Boudh), Sadhu Pradhan (Boudh), Khedu Dehury, Arati Bhukta (Athmallick) and Usha Mahakud (Athmallick).

The injured were admitted to a hospital at Athamallik where the condition of many was stated to be critical, said Angul District Collector Anil Kumar Samal who rushed to the spot to supervise rescue operations.

Expressing shock over the mishap, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed the district administration and police officials to take immediate steps for medical treatment of the injured persons. Patnaik announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh to kin of each of the deceased.

The chief minister directed that the injured be provided medical treatment free of cost, officials said.

Several students of Athamallik college were also travelling in the bus, they said.

It was not immediately clear as to how the bus fell off the bridge, but the driver appeared to have lost control over the vehicle, they said.