TNI Bureau: In a tragic incident, three young girls on their way to Puri to attend the Ratha Jatra of Lord Jagannatha and his siblings were killed after their scooty was hit by an Ama Bus today.

According to reports, the mishap occurred on the Pipili Highway near the over bridge (flyover) when the girls identified as Rimjhim Priyadarshani Sahu (20) of Old Town area of Bhubaneswar, and Elena Das (20), and Kajal Das (20) of Kendrapara district, were going to Puri on a scooter (OD 02 BQ 7367) from Bhubaneswar.

On being informed, the local police reached the spot and initiated an investigation into the matter. They also sent the bodies for postmortem and informed the family members of the deceased girls, who are said to be the students of Utkal Sangeet Mahavidyalaya in Bhubaneswar.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep grief the tragic deaths of the girls and announced an ex gratia assistance of Rs 4 lakh to each for the kin of the victims. The ex gratia will be paid from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF).