Baripada: A family holiday turned into a tragedy early Friday morning after a road accident on National Highway 18 near Betnoti in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district left ten people critically injured.
The victims, a family hailing from Bihar, were traveling to the coastal h
oly town of Puri for a pilgrimage when the mishap occurred.
According to sources, the accident took place around 5 am near Jhurni Chhak under Betnoti police limits. The family was traveling in an SUV when a trailer truck took a sudden left turn into a petrol pump on the highway. As a result, the driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed into the truck.
Local youth and residents rushed to the spot immediately after the crash. The injured were pulled from the wreckage and initially rushed to nearby Betnoti Community Health Centre. Due to the severe nature of their injuries, they were later shifted to Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital in Baripada for advanced medical care.
A team from the Betnoti police station also arrived at the scene and seized the vehicles involved in the accident. An investigation is underway to determine the exact circumstances leading to the crash.