A tragic accident claimed two lives on Tuesday when a private bus rammed into a scooter near Jamalpur locality close to Mangalpur on National Highway-316, which connects Bhubaneswar and Puri.
The deceased included journalist Sheela Pattanayak, who worked with a leading Odia news channel. Meanwhile, the identity of the second victim has not yet been officially confirmed.
Reports stated that the two women were travelling from Bhubaneswar towards Puri when a speeding bus struck their scooter from behind. Consequently, one woman died instantly due to the severe impact.
Preliminary investigations revealed that sand spread on the road near Mangalpur may have caused the scooter to slip. As a result, the bus rammed into the two-wheeler, leading to the fatal crash.
Although locals rushed the second woman to a nearby hospital in critical condition, she later succumbed to her injuries during treatment.
Soon after receiving information, Pipili police reached the accident site and sent both bodies to Puri District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) for post-mortem examination. Later, the bus driver surrendered at the Sakhigopal Police Station. Consequently, authorities confirmed that a detailed investigation is underway.
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