Bhubaneswar: Six people were killed and at least 17 others injured after a Koida-bound bus collided head-on with a truck on National Highway (NH) 520 near Sanambudu on Thursday morning, taking the road accident toll in Odisha to 13 deaths and over 20 injuries in the last 24 hours, police said.
The bus rammed into a truck coming from the opposite direction, trapping several passengers around 11.30am.
“The deceased include three women and three men. Seventeen others, including the truck driver, were injured. Identification of the deceased is underway,” deputy inspector general of police (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said.
Locals, police, and fire service personnel rescued passengers and took the injured to the Rourkela Government Hospital. Traffic on NH-520 remained disrupted for over an hour after the accident.
Seven more accidents were reported from across southern Odisha districts, taking the death toll to 13.
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Three motorcycle riders were killed late on Wednesday night when a truck hit them near Mahanala village in Ganjam district. The deceased were identified as Ashwini Kumar Dora, Balakrishna Reddy, and Kalia Behera, all residents of Digapahandi block. Police said poor visibility on the stretch led to the accident.
{{/usCountry}}Three motorcycle riders were killed late on Wednesday night when a truck hit them near Mahanala village in Ganjam district. The deceased were identified as Ashwini Kumar Dora, Balakrishna Reddy, and Kalia Behera, all residents of Digapahandi block. Police said poor visibility on the stretch led to the accident.
{{/usCountry}}Two persons were killed and one was critically injured early on Thursday after a sand-laden dumper truck lost balance and rammed into a roadside tree at Bhaleri village in Rayagada. The deceased, Aliksh Patika and Ajay Palaka of Arjunguda village, were returning from Gunupur after unloading sand. They were taken to Gunupur Sub-Divisional Hospital, where doctors declared both of them dead on arrival.
Two youths were killed and four others injured in a head-on collision between two motorcycles near a petrol pump in Narayanpatna late on Wednesday night. Police identified the deceased as Abhi Miniaka and Saharat Tadingi of Gadabaguda village.
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The state has seen 27,167 deaths in road accidents over the last five years, averaging 5,433 fatalities per year, the state government told the state assembly last week. During the same period, 50,041 people sustained injuries in road mishaps across the state.
The year 2024 recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 6,142 deaths reported, while deaths due to road accidents in the state increased by about 7.5% in the first half of this year compared to the same period in 2024.
The rising toll is a concern, especially in light of Supreme Court directives urging states to reduce road accident fatalities by 10% annually and target a 50% reduction by 2020 using 2014 as the base year.