A six-year-old girl was killed and five of her family members sustained serious injuries after their SUV overturned on the Dholera-Ahmedabad Highway near Ambali Circle late on Friday night.
According to police, the accident occurred around 11.45 pm while the Vaishnav family from Bhiloda was returning from a religious pilgrimage to Dwarka, Somnath and Salangpur in a Scorpio (GJ-31-BA-1922).
Police said the driver, Gopalbhai Vaishnav, allegedly lost control of the vehicle, causing it to overturn on the highway. The impact left several occupants trapped inside the SUV. Passers-by rushed to the scene, rescued the victims and shifted them to a nearby hospital with the help of a 108 ambulance service. Doctors declared Preeti (6) dead on arrival.
The injured have been identified as Radhaben Gopalbhai (48), Udaylal Ratanlal (52), Purniben Udaylal (45), Ritik Ratanlal (19) and Mayaben Sampatbhai (45). Owing to the seriousness of their injuries, all were referred to a private hospital in Bhavnagar for advanced treatment.
The Dholera police have registered a case against the driver and launched an investigation into the cause of the accident.