BERHAMPUR (ODISHA): At least nine passengers were on Sunday reportedly electrocuted and 27 others sustained critical burn injuries, many of them seriously, when the bus in which they were travelling came into contact with 11KV live wire at Melapaturu village under Golanthara police limits near Berhampur city in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
The injured were rushed to MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur.
The death was likely to rise as some of the seriously injured persons have sustained more than 60 per cent burns.
Berhampur superintendent of police Pinak Mishra confirmed nine deaths due to electrocution.
Expressing deep grief over deaths in bus tragedy, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced Rs 2 lakh each ex-gratia for kin of the deceased persons.
Dambaru Reddy, a resident of Melapataru, said as soon as the villagers heard the shouting the passengers for help, they tried to rescue them. However, it took them 30 minutes to disconnect the live wire.
Ganjam district officials said fires services personnel and five ambulances were engaged in rescue work.
Sukanta Sethi, Chief Fire Officer, Odisha, said deputy fire officer from Berhampur along with other staff rushed to the spot immediately and shifted all the passengers to MKCG Medical College and Hospital.
“As soon as we got the information, our officers along with rescuers rushed to the spot. All the injured persons were rushed to the hospital in our vehicles. The villagers who had reached spot had done a tremendous work by disconnecting the live wire from the bus and getting most of the passengers out of the bus,” said Mr Sethi.
The passengers, reports added, were returning to their village after attending a marriage feast at Berhampur.
In another mishap, another bus carried 60 passengers also came in contact with 11KV live electric wire. There were no reports of the passengers sustaining any injuries, though four tyres of the bus were gutted. The driver of the bus was missing at the spot.
