4 tourists from UP dead, 23 injured as tourist bus overturns in Odisha

Police said 57 tourists from Uttar Pradesh were on their way to visit the Jagannath temple in Puri town when their bus overturned near Jaleswar by-pass, rolling 20 feet down the road

Published on: Sep 28, 2024, 11:53:38 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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At least four tourists, including a woman, were killed and 23 others injured after the bus in which they were travelling from Uttar Prtadesh overturned on national highway (NH)-16 in Balasore district of Odisha late Friday night.

The mishap left 23 injured, of whom 17 are stated to be critical. (Representational image)

Police officials in Balasore said 57 tourists from Uttar Pradesh were on their way to visit the Jagannath temple in Puri town when it overturned near Jaleswar by-pass, rolling 20 feet down the road. The mishap left 23 injured, of whom 17 are stated to be critical. The critically injured pilgrims were shifted to the Balasore District Headquarters Hospital, while others were admitted to Jaleswar’s JK Bhattacharya Hospital.

The deceased have been identified as Rajesh Mishra, Santaram Yadav, Kamala Devi Yadav and Rajprasad Yadav.

Jaleswar sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Dilip Sahoo said the bus capsized between 1pm and 1.30 pm near Madhuban dhaba on NH-16. “Police rushed to the scene and immediately conducted rescue operations with the help of fire brigade officials, locals and media persons. The deceased have been identified, and their families are being informed. The exact reason behind the mishap is yet to be determined. We suspect the driver may have dozed off, causing the bus to overturn,” said Sahoo.

The bus had left from UP on September 18, visiting Bihar and Jharkhand before heading to Puri.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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