The bus, coming from Korua village in Pattamundai in Kendrapara district, fell into the river after it broke through the railings of the two-km-long bridge while trying to overtake another vehicle at about 8.30 am.About 38 bodies have been fished out from the river. Twenty more passengers are yet to be traced. At least 37 passengers, who sustained serious head injuries, have been rushed to Sriram Chandra Bhanja Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

Among the survivors are a four-year-old girl, a six-year-old boy and a 70-year-old man. The condition of six to seven survivors, undergoing treatment, is reportedly critical. Faces of several deceased are beyond recognition.

While a team of the district police swung into action immediately, local people lent a helping hand to the rescue operations by providing boats. Additional Superintendentof Police Y K Jethwa said the locals managed to rescue at least 10 persons by these boats.

A police team reached the spot at 8.40 am and helped remove the ill-fated bus with a crane of the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Construction Corporation.

As the rescue team lifted the bus from the deep waters, five completely mangled bodies were found hanging from the window railings. A burst front tyre is suspected to have caused the driver to lose control over the bus.The mishap threw traffic on the Cuttack-Bhubaneswar Road out of gear for over three hours.

Most of the victims were office-goers who were coming to work from Pattamundai after the Kartik Purnima holiday yesterday.

The driver of the vehicle, however, managed to jump out of the bus and was not traceable, police said.

Meanwhile, the situation at SCB hospital became chaotic after friends and relatives of the deceased and injured thronged the casualty ward.According to sources, this is the fourth such mishap on the Mahanadi bridge.