Auto-rickshaw carrying schoolchildren overturns in Odisha’s Jajpur, 5 injured

An auto-rickshaw carrying schoolchildren overturned on Tuesday near Balada locality, close to Mangalpur under Dasarathpur police limits in Jajpur district. The incident occurred while the auto was returning students from a local school.

Also Read: Two injured as car overturns on Bhubaneswar's Acharya Vihar overbridge

There were seven to eight children in the vehicle at the time of the fatal accident.

According to sources, four of the children sustained serious injuries and were initially taken to a hospital in Dasarathpur for emergency care. Later, they were admitted to Jajpur district headquarters hospital (DHH) for further treatment. The auto driver was also injured and is receiving medical attention.

Officials confirmed that all children are now safe under hospital supervision. The incident has raised concerns about student transport safety in the area.

“A fox suddenly came to the front. Stone chips were lying scattered on the road, due to which the vehicle skidded when I tried to stop it by using the brakes. The fox got injured in the incident,” the auto-rickshaw driver, Muktikanta Sutar, said in the hospital.

“I was carrying seven children. I had already dropped three of them, and the remaining four were on board. I have sustained injuries on the front and back sides of my head and my right hand. The children were from a private school in Mangalpur,” Muktikanta added.

Worth mentioning, earlier in another incident on the night of October 17 last year, a serious road accident had occurred when a car driver lost control of the vehicle, and it overturned on the Acharya Vihar overbridge in Bhubaneswar.

The car, travelling from Jaydev Vihar towards Rasulgarh, had overturned at around 8.15 PM, injuring both occupants — the driver and a woman passenger.