Driver killed; 14 critical as Andhra-bound pilgrim bus meets witch accident in Odisha’s Balasore

A pilgrim bus travelling from West Bengal to Andhra Pradesh met with an accident on Friday morning after ramming into a divider on the Bahanaga bridge under Khantapada police station limits in Odisha's Balasore district. The driver died in the incident, while 14 passengers sustained critical injuries.

The accident occurred in the early hours on the Balasore–Bhadrak road stretch. It is suspected that the mishap took place after the driver dozed off while driving.

Bus Falls Off Bridge After Hitting Divider

According to reports, the bus first hit the bridge divider and was partially hanging off the bridge at the time of reporting. The driver was thrown out through the broken windscreen and fell below the bridge, dying on the spot.

The front portion of the bus sustained severe damage due to the impact of the collision.

There were a total of 50 passengers on board at the time of the accident. Fourteen critically injured passengers were shifted to Khantapara CHC for treatment. The remaining passengers were taken to Bahanaga High School.

Rescue Operations And Local Assistance

Local residents said they noticed the accident at around 5.30 am and immediately rushed to the spot to assist in rescue efforts.

“We noticed at around 5.30 am that the bus had met with an accident and saw that the driver was lying dead under the bridge after falling off it. We rescued the passengers and sent the critically injured to hospital,” a local resident said.

Fire Department personnel also reached the scene and, along with locals, helped shift the injured to the CHC and others to the nearby high school. At the time of reporting, police were making arrangements to send the passengers onwards to Andhra Pradesh.

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The driver’s body was sent for post-mortem examination. Police have initiated an investigation into the incident.