14 Killed in Road Accidents Across Odisha in 24 Hours
Spike in fatalities raises fresh concerns over road safety and enforcement
Bhubaneswar: At least 14 people lost their lives in a series of road accidents across Odisha within a span of 24 hours, raising serious concerns over road safety and the effectiveness of traffic enforcement across the state.
One of the most tragic incidents occurred near Tentuli on National Highway–9 in Keonjhar district, where a motorcycle crashed into the rear of a truck. The accident claimed the lives of a father and his son.
The deceased has been identified as Md. Noor, a small shop owner from Tentuli who earned his livelihood to support his family. According to sources, Noor was travelling on a motorcycle with his wife and son when their bike rammed into a truck from behind. Noor and his son died on the spot, while his wife sustained critical injuries and has been admitted to a hospital for treatment.
In another incident, one person died and four others were critically injured after a speeding car rammed into an auto-rickshaw at NISER Square in Jatni. The injured victims were rescued and admitted to a government-run hospital in Khordha town. Police have launched an investigation into the accident.
Apart from these incidents, several other fatal accidents were reported from different districts of the state. Four people died in Bargarh district, three in Sambalpur, two in Sundargarh and one person in Bolangir district.
The string of accidents in a single day has once again drawn attention to the rising number of road fatalities in Odisha and the urgent need for stricter enforcement of traffic regulations.
Official data indicates that the state witnesses an average of around 15 deaths due to road accidents every day. During a previous session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly, Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena had revealed that the state records nearly 31 road accidents daily, leaving about 27 people injured.
Statistics show that an accident occurs roughly every four hours in the state, while fatalities are reported almost every five hours. Over the past five years, prior to March 2025, Odisha recorded an annual average of 11,366 road accidents, resulting in around 10,008 injuries and claiming nearly 5,433 lives.
Despite several road safety initiatives undertaken by the state government, experts believe that many such programmes remain largely limited to discussions and reviews, with limited impact on the ground.
