Bhubaneswar: Twenty passengers were injured when an Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) bus veered off the road and overturned after crashing into a electric pole on state highway 10 near Muchirnali village in Sundargarh district late on Friday.
The accident took place around 12.30 am when the bus was en route to Puri from Sundargarh.
Sources said a major tragedy was averted since electricity to the pole got disconnected after the bus dashed into the pole.
On being informed, police reached the spot and shifted the injured passengers to sub-divisional hospital at Bonai. Some among them had suffered head injuries. A woman among them, who sustained critical injuries after she come in contact with the disconnected live wire, was later shifted to Rourkela Government Hospital. Arrangements were also made to transport the remaining passengers to their destination.
Sources further stated that the driver felt pain in the chest and was unable to apply brakes, leading to the accident.