Homeguard Dead, IIC Among 4 Injured as Ambulance Rams Police Van in Mayurbhanj Dist

Baripada: A police home Guard died and four others including an IIC of police were seriously injured when an 108 ambulance crashed into a police van at Udala in Mayurbhanj district late Monday night.

All injured were admitted to the Raghunath Murmu College and Hospital in Baripada for treatment. The injured IIC was shifted to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack as his condition deteriorated.

Initial investigation hints that the driver of the ambulance was using his mobile phone while driving, which was the cause of the accident.

It was a head-on collision between the speeding ambulance and the police van. The police van was parked on the roadside as the cops were questioning a person. All of a sudden, the speeding ambulance coming from the opposite side hit the stationary police van. The deceased home guard was identified as Laxmidhar Mahanta. He died on the spot.

The speeding ambulance was returning after dropping a patient in Baripada.

The injured included the police IIC, the driver, pharmacist and helper in the ambulance.