At least two persons died and 25 othesrs sustained injuries when a bus carrying 52 pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh hit a stationary truck on the National Highway-16 near Barikpur in the district on Wednesday.
According to reports, the pilgrims, hailing from Gorakhpur area of Uttar Pradesh, were heading towards Puri in the ill-fated vehicle. The bus rammed into a stationary paddy-laden truck parked on roadside killing the two and injuring others.
Fire Service personnel rescued the injured and rushed them to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHH). Condition of 15 of them was stated to be critical.
In another road mishap in the district, an ambulance hit another ambulance from the rear on NH-16 near Dahanigadia leaving four persons, including two patients, critically injured. The victims were initially admitted to the DHH while two of them were later shifted to the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack as their condition deteriorated.
The two patients of Kolkata were being taken to Cuttack in the ambulances when the accident took place, reports said.