At least 17 people, including eight children and three women, sustained injuries on Monday after an auto-rickshaw they were travelling in plunged nearly 10 feet down a slope in Odisha’s Gajapati district, police said.
The accident took place near Jarau Ghat within the Mohana police station limits in Gajapati district.
According to officials, the vehicle struck a roadside electric pole and overturned before tumbling down the slope at the border of the Ganjam and Gajapati districts.
All those injured, including the driver, were rescued and admitted to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital in the district for treatment.
The condition of five of them is stated to be serious, officials said.
Police said that the auto-rickshaw was en route from Govindapur to Badagada and was heavily overcrowded, carrying 17 passengers, when the crash occurred.
Fire services personnel from the Mohana and Badagada units rushed to the scene after getting the information about the incident and carried out rescue operations.
Authorities have seized the damaged vehicle and initiated an inquiry into the cause of the accident.
