Bhubaneswar: Ten picnickers to the Dhauli Hills were injured when their bus rammed into another vehicle near Jayadev Vihar on a foggy Sunday morning.

Police said the incident took place at 6.15am and the bus carrying the picnickers was coming from Khurda.

"It was a chilly morning and most of us were sleeping in the bus. All of a sudden we heard a bang and were thrown out of the seats. The front portion of the bus was damaged. Luckily most of us were unhurt," said Rajeev Das, a passenger.

Shortly after the incident, local residents rushed to the spot and rescued the victims with the help of the police.

All the victims were rushed to the Capital Hospital for preliminary treatment. Doctors at the hospital said that all the victims sustained injuries in their face and hands.

"This was a lucky escape as the bus was not speeding. The picnic was called off and we all retuned to Khurdha," said another passenger.

The police said there were around 40 people in the bus.

"We suspect the bus driver couldn't see the other vehicle because of foggy weather. We have detained the driver identified as Arun Kumar Sethy, 40, and are interrogating him," said inspector-in-charge of Nayapalli police station Sangram Pattnaik.

The meteorological department has cautioned commuters to drive slowly during foggy condition.

"The condition is likely to prevail for another week and the visibility has reduced to 200 meters due to the fog. Commuters should drive slowly," said a Met official.

Scribe assaulted

The inspector in charge of Talabania police station in Puri, R.K. Patra, allegedly assaulted a journalist at Capital Hospital on Sunday. The incident took place when newspersons had gathered to cover the accident near Dhauli.

Raids on bars

Police on Saturday night conducted surprise raids on various bars to find if they had employed any women.

However, the cops did not found any violations.

The police said such inspections would also be conducted at all bars in the city in due course of time.