At least five school students sustained injuries on Friday morning when the auto-rickshaw transporting them collided with a Comprehensive Region Urban Transport (CRUT) ‘Ama Bus’ near Pitapalli Square in Odisha’s Khordha district.
The accident occurred at approximately 10:00 AM close to the Pitapalli fuel station. According to preliminary reports, the Ama Bus was operating on its scheduled route from Khordha towards the Bhubaneswar Railway Station when the impact took place. Prompt action by local authorities and bystanders ensured that the injured students were swiftly rushed to the Khordha District Headquarters Hospital for medical attention.
CRUT, the governing body operating the Ama Bus service, released an official statement shedding light on the sequence of events. According to CRUT, the bus had just finished dropping off passengers at the Pitapalli Fuel Station bus stop and was proceeding forward at a controlled, slow speed.
The transport authority alleged that the auto-rickshaw was moving in the wrong direction along the service road, ultimately colliding with the left side of the bus. Highlighting the humanitarian response at the scene, CRUT noted that the bus driver immediately jumped in to assist the injured auto-rickshaw driver and children, sustaining injuries in the process. The bus driver is currently receiving medical treatment.
CRUT confirmed that all passengers aboard the bus remained safe throughout the incident, and its technical and operational teams quickly coordinated with local law enforcement to manage the emergency response.
While initial assessments from CRUT point toward alleged negligence and wrong-side driving by the auto-rickshaw operator, the definitive cause of the collision remains under investigation. Officers from the Infovalley police station have cordoned off the area, registered a case, and launched a comprehensive probe to determine liability and review local traffic safety measures around Pitapalli Square.
