6 including 4 school children killed in road mishap

Odisha Sun Times Bureau

Sambalpur, Apr 16:

In a tragic road mishap, six persons, including four school children, were killed and two others critically injured today at Tikilipada chowk under Jamankira police limits in Odisha’s Sambalpur district as the van in which they were travelling collided head on with a truck, police said.

The mishap occurred around 11 am when some children were going to take admission in a school.

The deceased have been identified as Jeebardhan Patra (26), Jitendra Das (12), Jyoti Majhi (8), Mukesh Pradhan (13), Mamata Majhi (8) and Kundru Pradhan (23).

The injured have been admitted to the VSS Medical College and Hospital at Burla, where their condition is stated to be critical.

The van carrying around 18 persons was going to Ardabahal Ashram School, a residential school for tribal children in Kuchinda sub-division of Sambalpur district from Dudhianali of Deogarh district when it collided head on with a grape laden truck coming from the opposite direction at Tikilipara.

Locals and police rushed to the spot and rescued those trapped inside the vehicle. The injured were first rushed to Jamankira Community Health Centre and later shifted to VSS Medical College and Hospital at Burla.

“Some parents and their children were also in the van. They were going to Ardabahal to get their children admitted to a school”, police said. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem.

The driver of the truck fled from the spot after the accident, reports said.