Khallikote: A serious accident occurred late Saturday night when a private bus collided head-on with a parked truck near a petrol station on National Highway-16 within the jurisdiction of Khallikote police in Ganjam district. This unfortunate incident resulted in 25 individuals suffering significant injuries.

The bus, identified as ‘Balunkeswar’, was en route from Bhubaneswar to Aska at the time of the crash. Among the injured, 25 individuals were reported to have sustained severe injuries.

Upon receiving the alert, local police promptly arrived at the scene and transported the injured to the Khallikote community health center (CHC) using 108 ambulances and fire service vehicles.

The police have confiscated the bus and initiated an investigation, as stated by IIC Ramesh Pradhan. The bus driver, conductor, and helper are currently unaccounted for, prompting authorities to launch a search operation to locate them.