Baripada/Rairangpur/ Badgaon: Five youths were killed in two separate road accidents in Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts at a time when the state is observing Road Safety Awareness Month.
In Mayurbhanj district, three friends died after a passenger bus hit their motorcycle on National Highway 220 near Ranibandh under Rairangpur rural police limits Friday afternoon.
The deceased were identified as Bikash Behera, 26, of Ratanasahi village in Badadalima under Tiring police station; Prabir Debbarma, 26, of Adityapur in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharsawan district; and Bikash Debbarma, 28, of Bishalgarh area in Tripura’s Sipahijala district.
Police said the victims were travelling from Rairangpur towards Jashipur around 1:30 pm when the bus rammed into their bike near Ranibandh, dragging it for some distance.
All three died on the spot. Tension prevailed briefly at the site before police brought the situation under control. A case has been registered at the Rairangpur rural police station.
In a separate incident in Sundargarh district, two motorcyclists were killed in a head-on collision between two bikes near Sahajbahal under Badgaon police station Thursday night.
The deceased were identified as Ashish Gudiya, 24, of Sahajbahal village, and Arbind Kiro, 28, of Birangpada. Three others — Anjana Gudiya, Rupa Tappo and Prabin Kereketta — sustained serious injuries and were initially treated at Badgaon hospital before being shifted to Sundargarh District Headquarters Hospital.
Police have registered a case, seized the bodies and handed them over to the families after post-mortem examinations. Investigations into both accidents are underway.