Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty on Wednesday clarified that 10 passengers were killed after a bus crashed into the railing of Mahanadi bridge near Jagatpur on the outskirts of Cuttack city on Tuesday evening, and not 12 as reported earlier.
"There were some statements from the authorities about the death toll to be 12, but the actual death toll is 10. All the injured were admitted in casualty and at the same time in another accident, two persons were also brought to the hospital casualty in another ambulance due to which the counting of death was declared 12. These were two separate incidents. The investigation has just started and we have taken help of the local Regional Transport Office (RTO), the vehicle will also get examined", he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Fire Officer Sukant Sethy said all the passengers trapped inside the bus have been rescued and they were taken to SCB Medical College and Hospital for treatment.
The private bus was on its way to Cuttack from Talcher when the driver of the bus lost control after a buffalo came in front of it and fell into the dry riverbed.
Policemen from Cuttack including DCP Akhilesh Singh and Police Commissioner Satyajit Mohanty, along with fire brigade personnel and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), rushed to the accident site to rescue the trapped passengers.
Among the deceased are seven men and three women, while 46 people are undergoing treatment at the SCB Medical College and Hospital.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the accident and announced Rs 2 lakh ex-gratia to next of kin of the deceased and free treatment of those injured.