Tractor falls 10 feet off ghat in Odisha, 12 injured in mishap

A road accident near Dhepaguda under Adaba police limits in Gajapati district left 12 people injured on Monday after a tractor lost balance and tumbled 10 feet down a slope.

Also Read: OSRTC bus carrying 49 passengers from Puri overturns in Bargarh; injured admitted to hospital

The vehicle was returning from the Garadama panchayat to Gambhari, carrying rice at the time of the accident.

According to police sources, the driver lost control while navigating a ghati (steep descent), causing the tractor to overturn and fall. Locals immediately sprang into action and rescued the injured, taking them to Brahmanigaon health centre for treatment.

Of the 12 injured, four are reported to be in critical condition.

The mishap has raised concerns over the safety of transporting people and goods in rural terrains using tractors, often without proper passenger safety measures.

Police have initiated an investigation into the cause of the accident and whether the vehicle was overloaded at the time.

No comments were received from Adaba police or the injured in this regard.

Worth mentioning, earlier in another incident, an Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) Volvo bus carrying 49 passengers had overturned into a farm near Akhusingi village under Padmapur block in Bargarh district in the early hours of August 13.

The bus was en route from Puri to Kotpad along National Highway-326 when the driver had reportedly lost control, causing the vehicle to veer off the road and topple into an adjacent farm in the wee hours.

The sudden loss of balance left the bus lying on its side, partially damaged.

Padmapur police and fire services personnel had rushed to the spot and rescued trapped passengers by breaking the front glass panel. All injured individuals were then shifted to Padmapur hospital for immediate treatment.