Six people, including an infant, were killed and 15 were injured on Saturday when a truck hit a passenger bus from behind at Bidu in Balasore district on National Highway 16.

Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the kin of each of the deceased and assured free treatment for those who sustained injuries.

Police sources said the bus, Shantilata, was coming from Udala to Bhubaneswar.

It was mostly filled with labourers who were coming to Bhubaneswar in search of work.

The bus stopped at Bidu Square to pick up a few passengers. But a coal-laden truck, which was coming at a high speed, hit the bus from the rear. Following the collision, the bus swerved off the road resulting in the death of six persons on the spot.