Eight people were killed and several others injured after a bus caught fire in Odisha’s Ganjam after coming in contact with an overhead power transmission line on Sunday, police said.
According to a Kalinga TV report, the incident took place on Tulu road of Rangaielunda in Ganjam district.
Reportedly, over 30 people have been injured.
Further details awaited.
The Chikarada-bound bus coming from Jangalpadu came in contact with an 11 KV power transmission line. The passengers were on their way to attend an engagement ceremony in a nearby village.
Locals rushed to the spot to rescue those trapped inside the bus.
Police and fire service personnel also reached the spot and rescued the passengers.
The injured were admitted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur.
Chief Fire Officer Sukant Sethi said, the blaze has been extinguished and all those inside the vehicle have been rescued after snapping power supply in the transmission line.
This is not the first mishap to take place in the district in recent times. At least eight people, including two women, died and 34 others were injured after a bus overturned and rolled down a hilly road in Odisha’s Ganjam district in the early hours of Wednesday, January 29.
The private bus, which was on its way to Berhampur from Tikiri in Rayagada district, overturned and fell off from a height of 30 feet near Taptapani, Ganjam District Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange said.