Four Killed In Accident After Puri-Bound Bus From UP Overturns In Balasore

A tourist bus overturned in Odisha's Balasore district, killing four and injuring 30. The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, with 17 critical patients transferred to Balasore district hospital.

An AI representation of the bus accident.

Source : ABPLIVE AI

At least four people lost their lives and 30 were injured when a tourist bus from Uttar Pradesh overturned in Odisha's Balasore district, police reported on Saturday. The accident occurred late Friday night, as the bus, en route to Puri, veered off the road and toppled into a paddy field near Mahamadnagar Patna on National Highway-60, the police were quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The injured were immediately taken to G K Bhattar Hospital in Jaleswar, while 17 critically injured passengers were later transferred to the district headquarters hospital in Balasore for further treatment, the police added.

Inspector Ranjan Kumar Sethi of Jaleswar Police Station told PTI that the bus was carrying around 57 passengers from Sidharthnagar district in Uttar Pradesh. The group had recently visited Varanasi, Gaya, Ganga Sagar, and Kolkata, and was heading to Puri when the accident occurred.

Local residents, along with police and fire brigade personnel, quickly arrived at the scene to rescue the injured passengers. One of the rescue workers from the fire brigade praised the efforts of a 14-year-old boy, Tushar Mishra, a passenger on the bus, who managed to save seven people from the overturned vehicle. However, despite all his efforts, he couldn't save his father, Rajesh Kumar Mishra. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash.

Both the bus driver and the conductor fled the scene and are currently missing, according to police reports.

In response to the accident, the Balasore district administration set up a help desk for those seeking information or assistance. An official statement provided contact numbers for inquiries: G K Bhattar Hospital, Jaleswar: 9348392334 and 7978230562, and District Headquarters Hospital, Balasore: 7894720599 / 9692077708.