Jajpur, Jul 24: More than 10 passengers were seriously injured after a night coach bus carrying over 50 people rammed into the rear of a stationary truck on National Highway-16 near Gopalpur in Odisha's Jajpur district in the early hours of Thursday.

According to preliminary reports, the passenger bus, operated by Sana Travels, was travelling from Bhubaneswar to Kolkata when the accident occurred. The bus reportedly crashed into a truck that had been parked on the highway near Gopalpur, causing severe damage to the front portion of the vehicle.

The impact left over 10 passengers with serious injuries, while several others sustained minor injuries. Local residents, along with personnel from the Fire Services Department, launched a rescue operation and extricated the injured passengers from the mangled bus.

The injured were rushed by ambulance to Dharmasala Community Health Centre for immediate treatment. After receiving first aid, the critically injured passengers were referred to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack for advanced medical care.

Passengers who escaped with minor injuries were reported to be out of danger, and a major tragedy was averted despite the severity of the collision. The accident caused temporary disruption to traffic on the busy national highway.

Police from Dharmasala and Kuakhia police stations reached the accident site soon after receiving the information. The damaged bus has been seized, and an investigation has been launched to ascertain the exact cause of the accident, including whether negligence or poor visibility contributed to the crash.