Balasore: In a tragic incident, two persons were killed and several others sustained serious injuries when a passenger bus collided with a stationary truck on National Highway-16 in Jaleswar area of Odisha's Balasore district late last night.

According to reports, the ill-fated bus was travelling from Narsinghpur in Dhenkanal district to Kolkata with over 40 passengers on board. Around 3 AM, the vehicle rammed into the rear of a truck that had broken down on the road near Lakshmannath in Jaleswar.

The impact of the collision was so severe that the driver, identified as Mir Abdul Rahim (39) of Salepur area in Cuttack district, and the helper, Nrusingha Kathua (40) of Mahanga, died on the spot.

Victims Hospitalised 

Fire service personnel rushed to the site and rescued the injured passengers. They were shifted to a local hospital for treatment.

Among the injured were Parana Begum (25) and Gulhar Bibi (52) of Dhenkanal, Suresh Parida (29), Sanjeeb Sahu (30) and Manas Mohanty (25) of Bhadrak, Prabir Behera (30) of Kendrapada, and conductor Rudrajit Mahapatra (30) of Nimapada.

As the condition of Parana Begum and Gulhar Bibi turned critical, both were later shifted to Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital in Balasore.

The front portion of the bus was completely mangled in the crash. Most of the deceased and seriously injured passengers were seated near the driver’s cabin.

Jaleswar police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the incident.

Also read: Over 20 Injured as Bus Carrying Pilgrims Overturns in Balasore; 5 in Critical Condition.