Bhubaneswar: A series of road accidents across southern Odisha has claimed 13 lives and left several others injured over the past two days, officials said.
In a major crash on NH-520, six people—including three women and three men—lost their lives, while 17 others, including the truck driver, were injured. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Western Range) Brijesh Kumar Rai said identification of the deceased is ongoing. Locals, police, and fire service personnel rescued the injured and rushed them to Rourkela Government Hospital. Traffic on the highway remained disrupted for over an hour.
Additional accidents were reported from across the region. In Ganjam district, three motorcyclists—Ashwini Kumar Dora, Balakrishna Reddy, and Kalia Behera of Digapahandi block—were killed late Wednesday night when a truck hit them amid poor visibility. In Rayagada, two men, Aliksh Patika and Ajay Palaka of Arjunguda village, died after a sand-laden dumper truck lost balance and struck a roadside tree at Bhaleri village. Both were declared dead upon arrival at Gunupur Sub-Divisional Hospital.
In Narayanpatna, a head-on collision between two motorcycles late Wednesday night claimed the lives of Abhi Miniaka and Saharat Tadingi of Gadabaguda village, leaving four others injured.
According to the state government, Odisha has seen 27,167 road accident deaths over the past five years, averaging 5,433 fatalities annually. During the same period, 50,041 people sustained injuries in road mishaps. The year 2024 recorded the highest number of fatalities, with 6,142 deaths. Officials noted that road accident deaths have risen by approximately 7.5% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
The rising toll comes amid Supreme Court directives urging states to reduce road accident fatalities by 10% annually and achieve a 50% reduction by 2030, using 2014 as the baseline. Authorities have called for stricter enforcement of traffic rules and awareness campaigns to curb the growing trend.
