Dharmasala: A person died and two others were seriously injured after an ambulance met with an accident early Saturday morning near Rathiya on National Highway 16 under Dharmasala police limits in Jajpur district.
According to reports, the ambulance was returning from Cuttack after dropping off a patient when it crashed. The front portion of the vehicle was completely damaged in the accident.
The deceased has been identified as Achyutananda Barik of the Madhupur area under Dasarathpur block. The injured have been identified as driver Kaulas Panda and pharmacist Tapas Patra of the government ambulance bearing registration number OD-02-BJ-1463.
Local residents rescued the injured and admitted them to the Dharmasala Community Health Centre.
Barik was declared dead by doctors, while Panda and Patra were given first aid and later shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for advanced treatment.
Sources said the ambulance, based in Dasarathpur, had completed six trips during the day. It was returning from Cuttack in the evening when it reportedly crashed into a stationary vehicle near Rathiya.
Reports suggest the ambulance staff were being forced to work 24-hour shifts in violation of labour laws, leading to repeated accidents.
A local union claimed that a lack of proper rest for drivers is contributing to such incidents and demanded that ambulance drivers be allowed to work as per labour regulations.
PNN