Bus plunges into river in Orissa, 3 killed, 20 injured

At least three persons are killed and around 20 others injured when a bus plunged into the Baitarani river.

At least three persons were killed and around 20 others injured when a bus plunged into the Baitarani river near Kurmanga, about 30 km from Keonjhar, on Saturday morning.

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The bus was on its way from Angul to Jamshedpur when the mishap occurred at around 4 am, the officer-in-charge of Kurmanga police station, Bijoy Murmu said.

There were between 40 to 50 passengers in the vehicle, he said.

Fire brigade personnel had so far retrieved three bodies from the water while around 20 persons had been rescued. Some others had managed to swim to safety as there was not much water in the river.

The rescue operations are continuing, Murmu said.

The injured had been shifted to government hospitals in Keonjhar and at Karanjia.

The cause of the mishap was yet to be known. The vehicle had crashed through the railings before plunging into the water, Murmu added.