Bhubaneswar: Road accidents have claimed as many as 27,167 lives in Odisha in the last five years, Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena informed the Assembly on Friday while replying to a question by MLA Tankadhar Tripathy.

According to the Minister, 50,041 people sustained injuries in various accidents reported between 2020 and 2024. The year 2024 witnessed the highest fatalities, with 6,142 deaths recorded in road mishaps.

The government report revealed a worrying trend of steadily rising road accidents and accident-related deaths in the state. Compared to 2022, fatalities in 2023 increased by 2.82%, while deaths in 2024 were 3.19% higher than in 2023.