Bhubaneswar, March 12 At least 1,025 people were killed and 1,594 injured in 1,616 road accidents that occurred in Odisha between January 1 and March 6, state Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena told the assembly on Thursday.
An analysis of the data provided by the minister, in a written reply to a question by BJD MLA Ananta Narayan Jena, shows that, on average, road accidents have claimed 15 lives every day during the period.
On average, at least 24 people were injured in road accidents every day in the state.
During the 65-day period, 447 road accidents were reported on national highways (NHs) in the state, in which 270 people lost their lives, and 469 were injured, the minister said.
He informed the House that 150 people were killed and 259 injured in 246 accidents that occurred on state highways, while 11 people died and 10 were injured in 13 accidents on expressways in Odisha.
During the period, 910 accidents occurred on other roads in the state, leaving 594 people dead and 856 injured, he added.
The transport minister also informed the House that the highest number of deaths, 276, were reported in road accidents that occurred on Sundays, followed by Thursday (264), Saturday (255), Monday (242), Friday (236), Wednesday (232), and Tuesday (209).
