Three severe road accidents rock Odisha’s Malkangiri

At least three serious road accidents were reported from different locations in Malkangiri district on Wednesday, causing panic and grievous injuries.

Also Read: Around 15 persons die every day due to road mishaps: Odisha Minister

In an incident at MV-42 village, a speeding car lost control and rammed into the house of a man identified as Biswa Das. The fatal crash caused extensive damage to the house. However, five family members inside narrowly escaped.

In another accident near Chalanguda village, a car veered off the road and crashed into a tree. The front portion of the vehicle was badly mangled in the impact. Two persons sustained critical injuries and were rushed to the district headquarters hospital (DHH) for treatment. Their health condition is said to be critical now.

Meanwhile, a separate accident involved an iron-laden truck heading towards Chhattisgarh. The truck met with an accident, leaving the driver seriously injured. Police are investigating the circumstances behind all three incidents.

No comments were received from either local police or the victims in this regard.

Worth mentioning, the State is grappling with an unsettling escalation in road accidents, which claim the lives of approximately 15 individuals each day. During a session in the Legislative Assembly last year, Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena had revealed this disturbing data. The daily average of road accidents stands at 31, resulting in approximately 27 injuries.

Despite the State government's efforts aimed at diminishing these fatal incidents, including various road safety initiatives, experts contend these programmes are largely confined to theoretical plans, limited to reviews and meetings alone.

Alarming statistics had earlier surfaced, showing an average of five accidents every four hours, leading to injuries, with three fatalities occurring nearly every five hours. In the past five years, before March 2025, the State has faced an annual average of 11,366 road accidents, injuring nearly 10,008 people and claiming around 5,433 lives.