Six persons including four school children died and eight other sustained serious injury when a van carrying them collided head on with a truck in Odisha’s Sambalpur district, police said.

The incident took place at Tikilipara chhak under the Jamankira police station of Sambalpur district. The mishap occurred at around 11 am when the school children were going to take admission at a school. The deceased have been identified as Jeebardhan Patra (26), Jitendra Das (12), Jyoti Majhi (8), Mukesh Pradhan (13), Mamata Majhi (8) and Kundru Pradhan (23).

The injured persons have been admitted in the Veer Surendra Sai medical college hospital at Burla, where their condition is stated to be critical. The van carrying around 18 people, was going to Ardabahal Ashram school, which is a tribal Welfare Residential School, in Kuchinda sub-division of the Sambalpur district from Dudhianali of Deogarh district when it collided with a grapes laden truck, which was coming from opposite side, at Tikilipara.

The local people and the police rushed to the spot and rescued those trapped inside the van. The injured were first rushed to Jamankira Community Health Center, from where they were shifted to Veer Surendra Sai medical college hospital at Burla for specialised medical attention.

“Some parents and their children were also in the van. They were going to Ardabahal for admission of their children,” said police. The bodies have been sent for autopsy. The driver of the truck reportedly fled from the spot after the accident.