Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has expressed his profound grief over the deaths of five people in a passenger bus near Barbati in Jajpur district and announced ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh each to the next kin of the deceased.
Five people were killed and several others injured when a Kolkata-bound private bus fell from a flyover bridge near Barbati and rolled down approximately 20 feet below the overpass on Monday night.
Patnaik has directed the district administration to provide proper treatment to all the injured passengers and prayed for their speedy recovery.
Official sources said initially all the injured passengers were admitted to the Dharmashala hospital, but later 21 of them shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack.
At least five critically injured passengers were admitted to the ICU of the hospital, while the district administration has made special arrangements to send the other passengers to Kolkata.