Baripada: Four persons were killed and 20 others injured after a tractor carrying them skidded nearly 15 feet below the road and turned turtle Wednesday night at around 8.00pm in Mayurbhanj district. According to local police, the fatal road mishap occurred near Murunia village under Jharapokharia police limits in the district.
A group of over 25 persons including artistes was returning by the ill-fated tractor to Bagabuda village after performing in a cultural programme at Damanisahi area on Odisha-Jharkhand border. The deceased include three males and a minor boy, an eyewitness expressed.
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Locals informed Jharapokharia police about the mishap. A team of firefighters, police and ambulance immediately reached the spot and rushed the injured to Sirsa community health centre (CHC).
Later, the critically injured were shifted to Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital (PRMMCH) at Baripada in Mayurbhanj district late in the night, after their health conditions deteriorated.
The deceased are yet to be identified, a police official said.
PNN