Malkangiri: An OSRTC bus driver in Odisha suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday, but heroically managed to safely pull the bus over to the roadside first, saving the lives of all 25 passengers on board.
The deceased driver has been identified as P Saikrishna.
According to sources, the state-run bus was en route to Malkangiri from Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh when at around 2.30 am, while passing through the Kunduli area, Saikrishna suddenly felt intense chest pain. Despite the sudden discomfort, he safely pulled over near
an ashram and informed his co-driver about the emergency, preventing what could have been a major accident.
Co-driver Purna Chandra Ray immediately took the wheel. “After Kunduli, he stopped the bus and told me he wasn’t feeling well. By the time we reached near Dumuriput, he was struggling to breathe and complaining of severe chest pain. The conductor tried to call an ambulance, but we were told it would take time. So I drove straight to Koraput,” Ray recounted.
The conductor, Balaji Nayak, then took him to Saheed Laxman Nayak Medical College & Hospital in Koraput in an auto-rickshaw. He was able to walk into the hospital but died while undergoing treatment.
Sources further revealed that Saikrishna had suffered heart complications after contracting Covid-19 and had previously undergone bypass surgery. Although he was on regular medication and had been certified fit to drive, he had a known history of cardiac issues.