Alert Driver Averts Major Mishap, Saves 48 Maharashtra Pilgrims Returning From Odisha's Puri

Dhenkanal: A major accident was averted after a pilgrim bus carrying 48 persons from Maharashtra's Nashik narrowly escaped a collision with a truck on National Highway-55 in Odisha's Dhenkanal district in the early hours of Monday (April 20), thanks to the alertness of the bus driver.

This morning, the bus, which was enroute to Nashik after a pilgrimage to Puri and other places, came very close to a truck parked along the roadside near Brahmani Devi Temple at Koriyaan chhak in Dhenkanal town.

Showing his presence of mind, the driver steered the bus onto a pile of sand beside the road to avoid a collision. His quick action helped save all the passengers on board. However, he himself sustained injuries in the process.

The injured driver, identified as Manoj Bhalerao from Maharashtra's Nashik district, has been admitted to Dhenkanal District Headquarters Hospital for treatment.

All the passengers in the bus are residents of Chandgarh village in Nashik district. They had started their journey from Nashik on April 6 and had visited several places, including Puri Jagannath temple, before heading back home.

Receiving information, police personnel along with a National Highway patrol team reached the spot and safely rescued all the passengers from the bus.

A senior official said the bus was on its way to Nashik when the accident happened. "All the passengers are safe. Only the driver suffered minor injuries," the official said.

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