Bhubaneswar, Feb 15 (IANS): One person died while more than 10 others sustained sustained injuries when a bus overturned at Gopalpur Chowk in Odisha's Cuttack district on Wednesday.

The deceased's identity is yet to be ascertained.

"The speeding bus which was coming from Bhubaneswar suddenly lost balance and veered over the median just a few meters away from me. It later turned sideways after hitting the divider at the spot. I rushed to the accident spot and came to know that a man along with his bicycle was crossing the road while the driver put on brakes suddenly to avoid hitting the man. But, he failed to control the bus and lost its balance due to over speeding," said an eye witness, Hemanta Malla.

Sources claimed the bus carrying 40 to 50 passengers was going towards Balasore from Bhubaneswar via Cuttack.

The locals alleged that excessive speed and rash driving by the driver caused the accident.

The passengers were rescued by locals, police officials and fire services personnel.

The injured persons were rushed to SCB medical college and hospital at Cuttack for treatment. Meanwhile, police sources on the other hand claimed that the actual reasons behind the accident can only be established after investigation.

"We have informed the owner of the Bus and we can only ascertain the identity of the deceased after enquiry. Some are saying the victim was the bus staff while others are claiming that the deceased person was the cycle rider," said Jagannath Mallik, the Inspector In-Charge of Cuttack Sadar Police station.