Six people from West Bengal were killed and 45 were injured when a bus carrying tourists overturned in Odisha's Kalinga Ghat on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border on the night of Tuesday, 24 May.
The bus carrying 77 people, out of which 65 were from West Bengal, was headed towards Andhra Pradesh's Visakhapatnam from Daringbadi.
The police and firefighters from Bhanjanagar immediately rushed to the spot to carry out rescue operations. The injured persons were taken to Berhampur's MKCG Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
Among the injured, 15 were in a critical condition, PTI reported the police as saying.
They also added that the bodies of the deceased persons were retrieved after breaking the bus's window panes.
The cops further said that they suspected the driver lost control of the bus while negotiating a curve in the hilly terrain, which led to the accident.
The victims were identified as Supiya Denre, Sanjeet Patra, Rima Denre, Mausumi Denre, Barnali Manna, and Swapan Gushait.
PM Modi, West Bengal CM Mamata Express Condolences
Condoling the deaths of the victims, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Twitter, "I am deeply pained by the loss of lives due to a tragic accident in Odisha’s Ganjam district. In this tragic hour, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray that those injured recover at the very earliest."
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed her condolences to the relatives of the deceased persons, and said that she stood in solidarity with the survivors.
"Sad to know that six of our fellow citizens from WB have succumbed to their injuries, while some others are still struggling with the trauma of a grave road accident today early hours when they were moving in a hired bus in the Ganjam district of Odisha on their way to Vizag," she said in a tweet.
'Govt in Constant Touch With Officials in Odisha': WB CM Mamata
Banerjee also said that the West Bengal government was coordinating with officials in Odisha to conduct a post-mortem of the victims, and treatment for the injured persons as well as their return to the state.
"Rushing a high level team led by Principal Secretary, Disaster Management and MLA Udaynarayanpur to Odisha," Banerjee added.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also expressed grief over the incident, saying, "I am saddened to learn that many people have been killed in a tourist bus accident near Kalinga valley in Daringbadi. Wishing all the injured a speedy recovery with the well-being of the immortal soul of the deceased."
(With inputs from PTI.)
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