7 Bhajan singers died, 5 injured in Odisha road mishap: Police
The van the Bhajan singer were travelling in rammed into a trailer from behind in Odisha’s Sundargarh district early Saturday morning
At least seven members of a Bhajan singers’ group were killed and five others sustained grievous injuries after a van they were travelling in rammed into a trailer from behind in Odisha’s Sundargarh district early Saturday morning due to poor visibility caused by foggy weather.
Police said the Bhajan Mandali singers from Kandadhuda and Samarpinda villages of Sundargarh had gone to Chakabahal in Chhattisgarh for a Shraddh ritual in a Maruti van and were being dropped at their homes when the driver rammed into a stationary trailer. Six people died on the spot while another one succumbed to his injuries in a hospital.
“The accident took place between 2am and 2.30am when the Maruti van they were travelling in collided with a stationary trailer on the MCL-Toparia Road. The impact was so severe that seven people, including the driver, died on the spot, while five others suffered severe injuries. The driver had taken the Bhajan Mandali for the Shraddh ceremony of his father. The injured were rushed to a local hospital in Hemagir,” said Brijesh Rai, DIG of southwestern range.
The bodies have been sent for autopsy. The identities of the deceased are yet to be ascertained. Though the exact reason behind the accident is not established yet, it is suspected that the van driver could not see the trailer due to low visibility caused by fog in the area. Following the mishap, angry villagers caused a road blockade, demanding compensation for the kin of the deceased.