Bhubaneswar: At least seven people died and 26 others were injured in four separate road accidents across three districts of Odisha Sunday, police said.
In Keonjhar district, five people died in separate road mishaps involving motorcycles in Kanjipani police station area on National Highway-49, they said.
The deceased have been identified as brothers Akshaya Sanangi (40) and Laxman Sanangi (32), Suresh, Shankar, and Dola.
A report from Cuttack district said a man identified as Sushil Kumar Gochhi was killed when his motorcycle collided head-on with an auto-rickshaw on a bridge connecting Nrushinghanath temple and Badamba area.
The man’s head was separated from his body due to the collision, a police officer said.
A total of six passengers, including a woman, travelling in the auto-rickshaw were also injured and rushed to a nearby medical facility, he said.
In Balasore, the driver of a tourist bus from Andhra Pradesh died and at least 20 people were injured when the vehicle hit a road divider in Soro area on National Highway-16.
The bus carrying around 45 passengers was returning to Vijaynagram in Andhra Pradesh from Kolkata.
The deceased was identified as K Venketeswar (54).
The injured have been admitted to a local hospital, police said.
The Balasore district administration has contacted the Andhra Pradesh authorities for the safe return of the remaining passengers.