The Hindu : Other States / Orissa News : Bus fire toll mounts to five

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Wednesday, Jan 23, 2008
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Bus fire toll mounts to five

Staff Reporter

State makes arrangements to send back victims

BHUBANESWAR: One more person who sustained grievous burn injuries succumbed in SCB Medical College Hospital at Cuttack taking the toll in Monday’s bus-burning accident to five on Tuesday.

Orissa Government also made arrangements to send eight ‘dischargeable’ victims to their respective villages in Madhya Pradesh through trains and bus from here.

Administration said about five persons with over 70 per cent burn injuries were undergoing treatment in SCB Medical College Hospital while two pilgrims with 40 per cent burn injuries were receiving treatments at Capital Hospital here.

Though eight pilgrims had not recuperated fully, they insisted on returning back to their villages to which Capital Hospital authorities gave their consents, sources said. “Two critically injured persons will be kept under observation for few more days,” Chief Medical Officer of Capital Hospital Umakant Mishra said.

The victim who died on Tuesday was identified as Kapil Sharma. He was the helper of the ill-fated bus.

Sarpanch of Badgaon in Madhya Pradesh Gobardhan Lal, who was accompanying the pilgrims, made representation on behalf of the victims.

Even as the villagers from Madhya Pradesh went through more than 36 hours of painful moments, they were not ready to admit that the accident occurred as the bus operator had not adopted safety measures.

“Naseeb main jo likhatha, woh to hona hi tha. (Whatever was written in destiny, it was bound to happen).

If Lord permits we will come again,” Kailash Lal, a survivor, said. However, the Sarpanch said after this accident adequate care would be taken to prepare food for all passengers at once and discourage carrying of inflammable substance in the bus.

“About 100 to 150 buses carrying pilgrims go to different states every year. Since most of the passengers belong to lower class, they carry kerosene and other oil to prepare their own food,” Gobardhan Lal said.

He would spread the awareness of safety while taking the bus to thousand kilometers away from their village.

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