Cuttack: Three persons died and several others were injured in two separate accidents in Odisha in the early hours of Tuesday.
In Cuttack district, three occupants of a SUV died on the spot after it jumped the median and collided head-on with a container truck at Rajakana Square under Tangi police limits on National Highway (NH) 16.
Two others were critically injured in the accident, which occurred around 3.50 am, and were rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for treatment.The SUV, carrying labourers working in a mine, was en route to Bhubaneswar from Keonjhar, while the truck was on its way from Bhubaneswar to Chandikhole.
According to sources, teams from NHAI, ambulances, rescue units, and Tangi police reached the spot and carried out rescue operations, which reportedly took nearly three hours to extract all the victims due to the severity of the collision and the condition of the vehicle. The container did not suffer major damage, and its driver and helper escaped unhurt.
Police have seized both vehicles and started an investigation.
Similarly, 18 passengers were injured after a bus, travelling from Bhubaneswar to Bijepur, skid off a bridge and fell into a roadside ditch near Singijuba under Binika police limits in Odisha’s Sonepur district at around 5 am.
The injured were rescued by police with the help of locals and were rushed to Binika Community Health Centre for treatment. Three among them with serious injuries were later shifted to VIMSAR, Burla, for advanced medical care.
Meanwhile, police have initiated an investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident.
