Tragic Bus Accident in Nayagarh Claims Five Lives, Leaves Dozens Injured
A devastating road accident in Odisha's Nayagarh district resulted in the deaths of five individuals and injuries to approximately thirty others. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday when a bus overturned at Takara under the Daspalla police station limits.
Details of the Fatal Incident
The bus was transporting over fifty passengers, predominantly women from Berhampur who were employed at a private mixture manufacturing unit. They were en route to Harishankar in Balangir district for a planned three-day tourist excursion. The vehicle overturned on the Hanuman Ghat road near Daspalla.
Immediate rescue operations were launched with fire personnel, police teams from Daspalla, and local residents rushing to the scene. The injured were promptly shifted to Daspalla hospital, where medical professionals declared five individuals deceased.
Binay Kumar Parida, the Inspector-in-Charge of Daspalla, confirmed the fatalities, stating, "The dead include an elderly couple, the bus driver, and two women."
Victims and Medical Response
The deceased have been identified as L. Hari Patra (62) and his wife L. Laxmi Patra (56) from Ashok Nagar, Sumati Sahoo (32) of Ananda Nagar, Suprabha Sahoo (52) from Bank Colony, Gate Bazar, and the driver, Prabin Kumar Sahoo (28), from Kulad near Bhanjanagar.
Medical teams provided urgent care, with eight critically injured passengers transferred to the Nayagarh district headquarters hospital. Two others, whose conditions worsened, were referred to AIIMS Bhubaneswar for specialized treatment.
Political Response and Compensation
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed profound grief over the tragedy and announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF). Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik also offered their condolences to the bereaved families.
Following post-mortem examinations, the Nayagarh administration arranged ambulances to transport the bodies to their native places for last rites.
Investigation into the Accident
While the exact cause remains under investigation, preliminary police reports suggest the driver lost control of the vehicle. Authorities noted that the bus was traveling at high speed and struck a roadside electric pole before overturning.
Most passengers were asleep at the time of the accident, which occurred around 2 am after the bus departed Berhampur at approximately 8 pm.
Eyewitness accounts provide harrowing details. Lili Sahu, a passenger, recounted, "The bus suddenly overturned. We managed to come out, but five others were trapped inside. Fire personnel rescued them and shifted them to hospital."
Another passenger explained the context of the journey, stating they had hired the bus to visit eleven tourist destinations across the state during their three-day trip.
This tragic event underscores critical concerns regarding road safety and transportation regulations in the region, prompting calls for enhanced measures to prevent such accidents in the future.
