In a devastating road accident near Sanamburu under Lahunipada police limits, six people lost their lives and over fifteen sustained serious injuries when a passenger bus collided head-on with a goods truck on National Highway 520 around 11:15 AM.
The deceased include three women and three men, among them the bus conductor and residents from Lathikata, Sanrakshi, and Barsuan. The injured were initially treated at Keblang Hospital before being shifted to Rourkela Government Hospital for advanced care.
Rescue operations were carried out by local police and fire services, who used hydraulic cutters to extract trapped passengers. The bodies were sent to Lahunipada Community Health Centre for postmortem and will be handed over to the families.
Eyewitnesses and locals allege that the bus was using the wrong route to bypass traffic congestion caused by a railway crossing between Keblang and Rakshi.
Despite repeated demands, an overbridge at the crossing remains unbuilt, leading to frequent jams and unsafe detours.
