5 dead, several injured as passenger bus falls off overbridge in Odisha

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Bhubaneswar, April 15 (IANS) Five persons, including a woman, died while several other passengers sustained serious injuries after a bus fell off an overbridge on National Highway-16 in Odisha's Jajpur district on Monday evening, officials said.

As per official sources, the bus, carrying around 55 passengers including women and children, was en route to Haldia in West Bengal's East Medinipur district, when its driver reportedly lost control and the vehicle fell off the overbridge near Barabati Chowk in the Rasulpur area of Jajpur at around 8 p.m.

Upon receiving information, fire services personnel from Rasulpur and Chandikhol fire stations immediately reached the accident spot and rescued the victims with the help of locals.

The fire personnel rescued the injured using gas cutters.

As many as 16 ambulances and cranes were used in the rescue operation.

Jajpur's Superintendent of Police, a team of doctors and other district administration officials also rushed to the accident spot to supervise the rescue operations.

As many as 40 injured passengers were taken to the nearby hospital in Dharmasala where five persons were declared dead by the doctors. Meanwhile, more than 10 passengers have been shifted to the SCB Medical College and Hospital for advanced treatment.

Expressing sorrow over the tragic accident, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has expressed sorrow and announced ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. He also declared that the state government would bear all the medical expenses for the treatment of the injured.

--IANS

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