A late-night accident on National Highway 16 in Odisha’s Bhadrak district resulted in one fatality and left six individuals with serious injuries.

The incident occurred near Ranital Bazaar at the Rahanja-Asura junction, within the Bhadrak Rural Police jurisdiction. Reports indicate that the accident began when a truck collided with a bus parked on the roadside. Subsequently, another truck crashed into the same bus, triggering a chain reaction. A pickup van transporting liquor then collided with the truck, exacerbating the situation.

The driver of the pickup van was trapped inside the vehicle for over four hours, and rescue teams from the fire services worked diligently to recover his body, which was declared dead at the scene.

The bus, known as “Dadhivaban,” was en route from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar. Six passengers suffered serious injuries; four were admitted to Bhadrak District Headquarters Hospital, while two were referred to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. All injured passengers were later transferred to Cuttack for advanced medical care.

Local residents have voiced their concerns regarding the frequency of accidents at this junction, urging the National Highways Authority to take immediate action to enhance road safety. This incident has reignited discussions about the hazardous conditions along NH-16, where chain-reaction collisions have become increasingly prevalent.