Sambalpur: A passenger bus got stuck in the middle of a flooded bridge near Pindapathar in Bamra block of Sambalpur district on Wednesday.
According to reports, the bus (OD-18A 2577) was en route to Sola from Rourkela with 25 passengers on board. The bus was passing through Pindapathar village when it came to halt as the river was flooded and 3 feet of water was flowing over the bridge.
When the driver moved forward on the flooded bridge, the vehicle drifted away due to strong currents in the river. But luckily, the vehicle got stuck in one of the poles on the bridge as thus a major mishap was averted.
Soon villagers reached the spot and rescued the passengers. The bus was also pulled out with the help of JCB after the water level receded today.
While some have accused the bus driver of reckless driving and risking the lives of so many people, locals have expressed dissatisfaction as the authorities did not pay heed to the construction of a new bridge over the river before the monsoon commenced.
