Berhampur: Six people, including two children, of a family were killed, and four others critically injured in a head-on collision between an overloaded autorickshaw and a private passenger bus under Purushottampur police limits in Ganjam district on Friday.Police said the Berhampur-bound bus rammed into the eight-seater autorickshaw, which was carrying around 12 people, including four children, at a turning.RTO Debasish Swain, who visited the spot with sub-collector (Chhatrapur) Sibasis Baral, said the bus appears to have collided with the autorickshaw at a turn, causing it to skid and crash into a roadside neem tree.SP (Ganjam) Subhendu Patra said three people, including Milli Behera (75) and her son Narasingh (43), died on the spot, while the injured were rescued by fire services and police personnel, and shifted to Kodala community health centre (CHC). Three succumbed to their injuries there. The critically injured — three relatives of the deceased and auto driver Babu Pradhan (52) — were later referred to MKCG Medical College and Hospital, Berhampur, where their condition is stated to be stable.Apart from Milli and Narasingh, the other deceased were identified as her daughters Lilabati (45) and Ratani (46), all residents of Erendra under Golanthara police limits, and granddaughters Sneha (11) and Kiran (10), who were the children of the elderly woman’s two other daughters. Sneha from Changudiapadar in Ganjam district, and Kiran from Baula in Bhadrak had been staying at their maternal uncle’s house in Erendra, family sources said. Three other family members — Bhagya Behera (50), Kanak (54) and Lily (38) — are undergoing treatment at intensive care unit. Milli’s elder son Kamal Behera (55) survived with minor injuries, while Kanak’s daughter Gitanjali (4) escaped unhurt.CM Mohan Charan Majhi and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the incident. The chief minister announced Rs 4 lakh assistance from the CM’s Relief Fund for the next of kin of each deceased and directed officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured. The Ganjam district administration also provided Rs 30,000 each for the last rites, said Purushottampur tehsildar Binod Behera.Meanwhile, both the vehicles were impounded, even as the bus driver, whom police was yet to identify, is absconding. Swain said preliminary inquiry indicated that both the vehicles had valid documents. Police said the family hired the auto and was on way to Singhasani temple when the accident took place between 9.30am and 10am.Kamal said they were talking when the bus coming from the opposite direction hit their auto. Kamal and nine others had left their village around 7am, while Kanak and her four-year-old daughter joined them at Purushottampur on way.“We were going to have darshan of Goddess Singhasani and hold the tonsure ceremony of my niece Gitanjali. We had also planned a picnic before returning home in the evening. We never imagined this trip would end in such tragedy,” he said.Picnic materials were found scattered at the accident site.Commerce and transport minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena and health minister Mukesh Mahaling visited MKCG Medical College and Hospital to meet the injured. The bodies were handed over to the families after postmortem at Purushottampur CHC.
