A pal of gloom continued to prevail on Rahanja village in Bhadrak district after the last rites of the five schoolchildren, who had been crushed to death by a truck on Thursday were conducted in the wee hours of Friday.
Villagers in large numbers gathered at the village crematorium to attend the funeral of the kids and bid them tearful adieu.
Meanwhile, the four students, who were critically injured in the accident, are undergoing treatment at the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack.
Notably, five students, Priyabrata Mohanty, Sataybrata Barik, Sweta Sahoo, Sukant Sahoo and Kalpana Jena, were killed and four others sustained serious injuries after the speeding truck ran over them near Rahanja Square on NH-16 at around 4.30 pm on Thursday. The nine students of the Ranitel High School were returning from the school to their houses when the tragedy took place.