Home Guard dies, four seriously injured in clash in Udala, Odisha

BARIPADA: In a tragic incident late on Monday night, a home guard succumbed to his injuries and four others, including the inspector-in-charge (IIC) of Udala police station, were seriously injured when an ambulance collided with a police van during a night patrol in Udala.

The deceased home guard, identified as Laxmidhar Mohanta (58), died at the scene. The IIC, Banamali Barik, the drivers of the police car and ambulance and a pharmacist sustained serious injuries.

The collision occurred near a petrol station in Udala town when the ambulance, which was on its way from Baripada to Kaptipada, collided with the police van. The impact caused the police van to roll over several times before landing in a nearby field.

Local residents rushed to help the injured. Eyewitnesses reported that the ambulance driver was using his mobile phone at high speed, which led to the accident.

The injured were initially taken to Udala CHC and later shifted to PRM MCH in Baripada. As their condition deteriorated, they were further shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack early Tuesday morning. Udala SDPO Sarthak Ray confirmed that all the critically injured are in stable condition.