Bhubaneswar: Three young women on their way to participate in Rath Yatra celebrations in Puri on Saturday died after they were run over by a bus on a highway connecting Bhubaneswar and the coastal pilgrim town, police said. The incident took place near Pipili over a bridge when the three women, who were travelling on a two-wheeler, were hit by a motorcycle following which they fell down on the road and came under the wheels of a government bus.

While two women died on the spot, the third woman succumbed to her injuries while being taken to Pipili community health centre, Pipili police station inspector-in-charge Soumendra S Tripathy said.

The deceased women were identified as Rimijhimi Priyadarshini Sahu, Elina Das and Kajal Das. While two were from Kendrapara district, the third one was a resident of the Old Town area of Bhubaneswar. The bodies were sent for post-mortem examination and a probe was launched.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed grief over the death of the three women and extended condolences to the bereaved families of the deceased. He also announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased persons from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund.