The State Transport Department-initiated investigations into Tuesday’s Mahanadi river bridge bus mishap began here on Thursday. A team led by the Cuttack Regional Transport Officer (RTO) began the probe after summoning the bus owner to the accident site.
The Bhubaneswar-bound AC sleeper coach carrying over 50 passengers from Talcher had skidded off in the middle of the three-km-long bridge and fallen 30 feet down on the sandy riverbed in which 10 passengers had died and 42 others sustained multiple injuries.
The local MVI, who is part of the probe team, after examining the mangled body of the bus, has opined that the 2006-make vehicle was fully fit for passenger transportation and had requisite speed controller fitted in it to limit the vehicle speed to 80 km per hour.
While the driver had reportedly lost control after he swerved the vehicle to the right in order to save a buffalo, which had strayed onto its path, the probe team is examining whether the five-decade-old bridge on the stretch of a busy National Highway is safe for heavy vehicles to ply on it.
The two-lane one-way bridge is witness to several accidents on it; and a bus tragedy similar to the Tuesday one had occurred here way back in 1998 when a Cuttack-bound bus from Kendrapada fell off to the river in which 37 passengers had died and over 20 had sustained critical injuries.
