Phulbani, October 28: Forty-eight passengers of an overnight bus to Bhubaneswar had a close shave as their driver, who suffered a cardiac arrest, applied his presence of mind and crashed the vehicle into a wall, bringing it to a halt before breathing his last, police said on Saturday. The incident happened near Paburia village in Kandhamal district on Friday night, they said.

The driver of the bus, identified as Sana Pradhan, started having chest pain while driving, and lost control of the steering, they said. "He realised that he would not be able to drive further. So, he crashed the vehicle against a roadside wall, following which it came to a stop, and the lives of the passengers could be saved," said Kalyanamayee Sendha, the inspector-in-charge of Tikabali police station. Andhra Pradesh: 53-Year-Old School Bus Driver Suffers Cardiac Arrest, but Saves 40 Students in Bapatla District.

Driver Dies of Heart Attack but Saves Passengers

The private bus, 'Maa Laxmi', usually plies from Sarangarh in Kandhamal to state capital Bhubaneswar via G Udayagiri every night, she said. After the incident, he was rushed to a nearby hospital but doctors there declared him dead due to cardiac arrest, police said. The bus left with the passengers for its destination a while later with another driver at the wheel, they said. Odisha: Man Killed, One Critical in Accidental Explosion in Ganjam District While Illegally Making Firecrackers Ahead of Diwali.

The body of Pradhan was handed over to his family after a post-mortem examination, they added. An investigation has also been started, Sendha said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)