Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Feb 15:

A day after four members of a family were killed in a road mishap in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced ex-gratia to the next to the kin of victims’ family.

Naveen Patnaik

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia each to the family members of the deceased. Besides, he also announced that all treatment expenses will be borne by the state government.

“I express my condolences to the bereaved families and pray for speedy recovery of the injured,” Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in a statement.

It may be recalled that five persons including four of a family travelling in an ambulance to Odisha with a corpse died in an accident yesterday afternoon.

The deceased have been identified as Sabitri Giri (60), Rabindra Giri (35), Minati Pala (45) and Shibashankar (9 months), all belonging to a family. While three died on the spot, Rabindra died in the hospital.

One of the ambulance drivers-- K Srinivas—also died in the mishap.

Rabindra’s wife Jyotshnarani and her two daughters are undergoing treatment at King George Hospital, Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh. Ambulance driver K Venkatraman from Hyderabad is also admitted to the hospital in a critical condition.

The deceased hail from Aaruhabruti village under Kamarda police limits in Balasore district. They were returning with the body of a family member who died in a hospital in Hyderabad.

Rabindra, who was working in a fan manufacturing industry in Hyderabad, had admitted his father to a hospital for treatment. However, he passed away after which the family was taking the body to their native in Balasore district for last rites. While they were on their way to their village, the ambulance met with an accident at Yalamanchili about 60 km from Visakhapatnam when the ambulance skidded off a culvert and hit a tree.

Of the nine persons travelling in the ambulance, five persons were killed in the mishap.