On Day 1 of zero fatality week, 8 killed in accident in Odisha’s Keonjhar district
A van with 19 people, including several children, was heading towards the famous Maa Tarini Temple at Ghatagaon when it rear-ended a parked truck on NH-20. The incident took place near Balijodi village.
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The incident occurred near Balijodi village under Ghatagaon police limit in Keonjhar district. (Representational Photo)The Odisha transport department’s zero fatality week started with a tragedy as at least eight people were killed and 11 others were critically injured after the van in which they were travelling rammed into the rear of a parked truck on National Highway-20 in the state early on Friday.
The incident occurred near Balijodi village under Ghatagaon police limit in Keonjhar district. The van with 19 people on board, including several children, was heading towards the famous Maa Tarini Temple at Ghatagaon when tragedy struck, barely 3km away from the temple.
According to the police, seven people died on the spot and a child succumbed to injuries at a hospital. The deceased – most of them are believed to be distant relatives – are from two different villages in Odisha’s Ganjam district.
Though the injured were initially rushed to the nearest Ghatagaon hospital, three critically injured patients have been referred to the SCB Medical College and Hospital while eight others are under treatment at Keonjhar medical college.
“Though the exact reason behind the mishap will be ascertained after a detailed probe, preliminary probe indicates that the driver of the van might have lost sight of the parked truck and rammed into it from the rear,” said a police officer.
Parking of hundreds of trucks on both sides of NH-20 is very common on the stretch as the highways connect the mining towns of Joda and Barbil in Keonjhar district.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed deep concern over the incident and announced ex-gratia of Rs 3 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. He also directed the administration to ensure the best treatment for the injured.
The accident comes at a time when the Odisha transport department is organising a zero-fatality week (till December 7) to reduce road accidents by intensifying enforcement against traffic violators, creating awareness, and other measures.
The first such zero fatality week was observed from April 1 to April 7 this year, which the transport department said, helped bring down accidents compared to previous years. There was a decrease in accidents and fatalities by 40 per cent and 28.6 per cent, respectively, during the observed week compared to the preceding week, transport department sources said.
During the last 10 years, more than 48,000 people have lost their lives due to road accidents in Odisha, which accounts for more than 5,000 deaths every year. Odisha had reported 5,467 road fatalities in 11,663 road accidents in 2022 as against 5,081 deaths in 10,983 accidents in 2021.
In 2023, Odisha has witnessed 8,939 road accidents with 4,178 fatalities in the January-September period.
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