Nayagada: The death toll in the tragic ambulance accident on National Highway-57 in Odisha’s Nayagada district climbed to four on Monday after another occupant succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment.
The mishap took place on Sunday evening around 5:30 PM near Shalabhanga forest stretch under Banigochha police Limits. The ill-fated vehicle was travelling from Bhubaneswar to Deogaon in Balangir district, transporting the mortal remains of Ishwar Sahu alongside several grieving family members following his passing in a Bhubaneswar hospital.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the driver lost control of the speeding vehicle, causing it to ram into a roadside culvert wall. The severe impact left everyone inside the vehicle, including the driver, critically injured.
Police swiftly responded to the distress call and rushed the injured to Daspalla Community Health Centre (CHC) for urgent medical care. While Pratap Bag and Shirsha Bag passed away during treatment on Sunday, Raju, the son of the deceased Ishwar Sahu, who was critically injured succumbed to his injuries this morning, pushing the total fatalities to four.
The bodies of all four victims have been kept at Daspalla CHC with Banigochha police coordinating postmortem examinations. The unexpected tragedy has cast a profound pall of gloom over the bereaved families and their native village during what was meant to be a festive period. An investigation is also underway to determine the exact sequence of events leading to the crash.