Odisha: 7 Killed, 4 injured as minibus collides with stationary trailer amid dense fog
Bhubaneswar: Tragedy struck in Odisha’s Sundergarh district early Saturday morning when a minibus carrying local villagers collided with a stationary trailer near the Gaikanapali area under the Hemgiri police jurisdiction.
The accident, attributed to dense fog and poor visibility, resulted in the deaths of seven passengers, while four others sustained serious injuries.
The victims, who were on their way back from a ‘Kirtan’ ceremony—a devotional singing event held in celebration of Diwali—were only a few kilometers from home when the crash occurred.
According to initial police reports, the minibus driver failed to see the parked trailer in time to avoid a collision due to the thick fog blanketing the area.
Villagers in the surrounding area were alerted by the sound of the crash and rushed to the scene to assist. Local police were quickly notified and, along with the help of residents, transported the injured passengers to a nearby hospital for urgent medical care. The identities of the deceased are yet to be confirmed, but authorities have initiated an investigation into the incident and have taken the bodies for autopsy.
The accident sparked considerable outrage among locals, who allege that the trailer was left dangerously in the middle of the road without any hazard lights or warnings. Angry residents gathered at the crash site, staging a road blockade and demanding adequate compensation for the families of the deceased.
“We lost our loved ones because of sheer negligence. We will not clear this blockade until there is a commitment from the authorities to compensate the affected families and to improve road safety measures,” said one resident at the scene.
The police has been deployed to maintain order as tensions remain high. Authorities are in discussions with community leaders to address their concerns, and additional measures are being considered to manage road safety in areas frequently affected by fog during this season.
Meanwhile, a similar incident unfolded in Odisha’s capital, Bhubaneswar, where a city bus struck two pedestrians in the Chandrasekhar area, leaving one of them, a young woman, with critical injuries. Local residents, angered by what they claim to be a persistent issue with reckless driving, responded by blocking the Jaydev Vihar-Nandankanan road. The blockade caused a major traffic jam, with vehicles backed up along the route for miles.