Berhampur, Nov. 4: Four persons were killed and 15 injured when a mini bus carrying them turned turtle between Badakharida and Rajpur under Purushottampur police station limits in Ganjam district, 42km from here, this morning.

The deceased have been identified as Susant Biswal, 35, of Kabisurya Nagar, Prakash alias Prabhakar Gouda, 55, of Bada Kharida, Akash Gouda, 17, of Bada Kharida, and Arun Panda, 30, of Dura Pathara in Gopalpur.

After the accident, a mob blocked the Purushottampur-Kabisurya Nagar road for more than five hours demanding compensation of Rs one lakh to each of the deceased and the district administration to bear medical expenses of the injured passengers.

The road blockade was lifted following an assurance by the administration to provide a compensation of Rs 10,000 from the Red Cross to each of the families of the deceased. The bus owners' association also provided Rs 8,000 to each to the deceased's families.

A large number of vehicles were stranded because of the road blockade.

Family members of Akash Gouda, a student who died later, said the ambulance reached the spot after one hour. They managed to shift Akash in a car from the spot to MKCG hospital, 42km away. But he succumbed to his injuries on the way to hospital. Fifteen injured passengers were also shifted to MKCG hospital in ambulances and auto rickshaws.

Deepak Palei, 15, from Bada Kharida, who was in the bus, suffered injuries on his head and hands. He alleged that the bus was overloaded. "More than 40 passengers were loaded in the bus and most of them were students. The bus was running at a high speed when the driver lost control and it turned turtle," said Deepak.

Eight months ago, one person was killed at the same spot in another bus accident.