Bhubaneswar, Sept. 11: Three persons died when a passenger bus and an oil tanker collided head on this morning near Sarua on the National Highway 57 in Khurda district.

Around 20 others were injured in the accident. Four of the critically inured have been shifted to various hospitals in Bhubaneswar. While one passenger died on the spot, two others succumbed to injuries at the hospital.

Two of the deceased have been identified as Suresh Sahu and Surya Narayan Sahu, while the third victim is still unidentified.

"Most of the injured have suffered minor injuries. They were discharged after primary treatment. However, four of them have suffered severe injuries, and later, admitted at various hospitals in Bhubaneswar," said a police official.

Police said the incident took place around 7.10am when the Banki-bound passenger bus was overtaking another vehicle on the highway. The bus, however, lost its balance and rammed into the oil tanker.

Eyewitnesses said the impact of the collision was so severe that both the vehicles skidded off the road and overturned. "The bus fell in a paddy field. We immediately rushed to the spot and rescued the victims. We also informed the police, and the victims were rushed to district headquarters hospital," said an eyewitness.

The police said they were trying to trace the drivers of both the vehicle to ascertain the cause of the mishap. "Drivers of both the vehicles escaped from the spot after the mishap. The bus owner hails from Bhubaneswar, and we are trying to trace the drivers of the bus and oil tanker," he said.