School picnic bus collides with tractor near Binika, 20 students injured

Several people, including 20 students, were injured after a picnic bus collided with a tractor on National Highway 126(A) near Binika in Sonepur district on Tuesday. The accident occurred near Sadhapalli village when the bus reportedly rammed into a paddy-laden tractor carrying a load of paddy.

According to sources, the bus named ‘Mishra’ was carrying around 40 students, teachers and staff members and was travelling from Bargarh to Sonepur for a picnic. The collision caused panic among the passengers, with several sustaining injuries of varying degrees.

Local residents rushed to the spot and informed the police and emergency services. The injured were shifted to the Dunguripali Community Health Centre, where they are undergoing treatment. While most of the injuries are said to be minor, the condition of a few injured passengers is reported to be stable.

The impact of the collision caused damage to both the bus and the tractor, briefly disrupting traffic on the busy highway. Police reached the spot and restored vehicular movement after clearing the accident-hit vehicles.

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While the exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, low visibility due to dense fog is expected to primary reason behind the mishap. Police have registered a case and are investigating the circumstances leading to the collision. Notably, a yellow warning for dense fog has been issued for Binika.