Bhubaneswar: Odisha judo team comprising 29 members – 13 boys and 14 girls along with two coach-cum-managers – met with an accident while travelling to Dimapur from Imphal, late Saturday night.
Reportedly, around 20 state judokas sustained injuries after the bus, they were travelling by, overturned approximately 20km away from Dimapur.
According to reports, four girls have sustained serious injuries. One girl has a fractured collar bone, while another has injured her cervical area and yet another girl was vomiting continuously before she was declared fine. The issue with the fourth girl is still unknown. Some girls had to get stitches after broken glass pieces got into their faces as well as other body parts.
They have reportedly left Dimapur by Vivek Express after receiving first aid in a private hospital, thanks to some local judokas who helped them out in such a tough situation. They will reach the state capital Monday evening.
The bus broke into two pieces after overturning. Reportedly, before the accident, tyres of the bus punctured on the way and they managed to change tyres.
“We had booked our own vehicle but Manipur Judo Association didn’t allow us to travel back in that, compelling us to travel by a bus booked by them,” informed OSJA CEO Gitanjali Panda, a former secretary of the state judo board as well as a coach.
“Thank God the Judo Federation people helped us out through their contacts making the necessary arrangements. They picked (my) call so late at night. I am really grateful to them. Also really grateful to (coach-cum-managers) Kandan Murmu and Balaram Behera,” she added.