More than 40 passengers escaped unhurt when the wheels of a bus by which they were travelling came off near Mahendri village under Dabugaon block in the district on Wednesday.
Reports said the mishap took place in the morning, when all the four rear wheels and axle of the private bus of MSB travels came off the vehicle while it was on its way from Umerkote to Jeypore.
The accident was so severe that the wheel-axle system of the bus was found lying in the nearby farmland several metres away from the bus. But all the passengers and the staff of the bus were unhurt in the mishap.
Sources said, the bus is said to have been purchased a few months back but the mishap has now raised questioned about the safety of the vehicle. Police have initiated a probe to check whether the mishap occurred due to human error or manufacturing defect.
