Five passengers were killed and five others injured after a luxury bus collided with a truck on the Vadodara-Ahmedabad Highway in the early hours of Wednesday. The bus, operated by Sai Darshan Travels, was travelling from Surat to Rajasthan when the accident occurred at around 4 am.
The bus had left Surat at around 9 pm and was carrying passengers to Rajasthan. The accident took place while it was travelling from Anand towards Nadiad on the Vadodara-Ahmedabad Highway.
Most passengers were reportedly asleep when the bus crashed into the truck. The impact caused panic inside the bus, with passengers waking up to screams and chaos.
Police rescue passengers from damaged bus
After receiving information about the accident, police rushed to the spot. Local residents also joined the rescue operation as several passengers were trapped inside the damaged bus.
The five injured passengers were rescued and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. The bodies of the five deceased passengers were sent for post-mortem examinations after the required inquest procedure.
Dhanesh Jadav, an injured passenger from Surat, said he had boarded the bus in Surat. Recalling the accident, he said the passengers were asleep when they suddenly heard a loud crash, followed by panic and screams.
Relative says brother-in-law among those killed
Nimeshbhai, a relative of one of the deceased passengers, said the family had put the passenger on the bus in Surat at around 9 pm.
“We received a call about the accident at around 3.15 am. My brother-in-law died in the accident, so we immediately came here from Surat,” he said.
He added that his sister has two young children and sought compensation from the government. According to him, his sister and the children were not injured in the accident.
Traffic restored after accident
The collision disrupted traffic movement on the highway and caused congestion in the area. Police later removed the damaged vehicles from the road and restored normal traffic movement.
Police have registered a case in connection with the accident and initiated further legal proceedings.