Four persons were today killed and 30 others injured, 15 of them seriously, when a bus in which they were travelling dashed against an oil tanker near Sarala Road in Jagatsinghpur district, police said.
The over-crowded bus from Cuttack to Paradip skidded off the busy road and turned turtle due to the collision impact following which the passengers were thrown off the vehicle, Inspector-in-Charge of Tirtol police station Debadutta Kar said.
While three persons died on the spot, another succumbed to injuries on way to SCB Medical College Hospital at Cuttack, he said.
The seriously injured have been admitted to hospitals at Manijanga, Raghunathpur and Jagatsinghpur while a few others were discharged after being given first-aid.
Efforts were on to lift the bus from the road-side with the help of a crane.
Meanwhile, hundreds of vehicles were stranded on either side of the busy road linked to the port-town of Paradip as the road had been blocked for rescue operation.