Close shave for passengers as bus hangs on bridge over Mahanadi

Bhubaneswar: Around 40 passengers of a private bus had a providential escape after the bus in which they were travelling skidded off Jatamundia-Subarnapur bridge over Mahanadi river at Banki in Cuttack district on Tuesday.

The bus rammed into the parapet and was dangerously hanging from the bridge. The bus was on its way from Angul to Bhubaneswar when the mishap occurred. All the passengers got down from the bus safely. Around 10 passengers received minor injuries.

Though the exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained, sources said the accident might have occurred due to a technical snag. According to some passengers, the bus was moving at a high speed as a result of which it veered off the bridge. The bus was later retrieved from its position with the help of a crane. Since the river is full now, it would have been disastrous had the bus plunged into the river.