Paralakhemundi: The death toll in the road accident in Odisha’s Gajapati district rose to six Thursday with two more women succumbing to their injuries, police said.
A pickup van with 36 people onboard overturned at Chiding Ghat near Mohana Wednesday. Four people had died on the spot, they said.
The two deceased women were identified as Sita Bhuyan (55) and Sanju Bhuyan (54). While Sita died at MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur, Sanju died at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar.
All the victims were residents of Kikisingh village and were heading to Chandragiri on the pickup van to attend a funeral, police said.
Twenty-four people were still undergoing treatment, and the condition of five of them was stated to be critical, police said.
Most of the victims sustained fractures and head injuries and were undergoing treatment in the surgery ward of the MKCG Medical College and Hospital.
The driver of the vehicle has been missing since the accident, police said.
Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhushan Jena visited the patients at the hospital. He asked the hospital authorities to take proper care of them and ordered an inquiry into the accident.
PTI
