12 killed as truck falls off hill road into a gorge in Odisha, 25 injured

india

Updated: Jan 22, 2019 16:44 IST

At least 12 people were killed and more than 25 injured after a mini truck veered off a hilly road in Odisha’s Kandhamal district Tuesday morning.

The deceased, including four women, and the injured were going to a nearby church for a meeting.

Odisha transport minister Nrusingha Sahu said that around 50 people from the Gadapur area of Kandhamal were going to Brahmanigaon to take part in a ‘priestly ordination’ of Church in a truck when it veered off the road at Bangadadua ghat road. The truck hurtled down a gorge killing six people on the spot.

The minister said that the driver of the vehicle was reportedly driving under the influence of alcohol. The death toll may go up as many of the injured are critical.

Locals immediately rushed to the spot and rescued the injured trapped inside the mangled mini truck. The Police and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot and took the injured people to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur town.

Chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of the kin of the deceased and free treatment for the injured.

In 2018, as many as 5200 people died due in road mishaps in Odisha.