Five dead, several injured in luxury bus-truck collision on Gujarat expressway
Five people were killed and several others seriously injured when a luxury bus collided with a truck on the Vadodara-Ahmedabad Expressway in Anand district early Wednesday morning. The accident occurred around 4 am, seven hours after the private bus departed from Surat en route to Rajasthan. According to Anand police, most passengers were asleep at the time of impact, with those occupying seats and sleeper berths on one side of the bus bearing the brunt of the collision.
Police said the bus attempted to overtake the truck on the expressway when the accident occurred. Among the injured were Surat residents Ganesh Jadav, 39; Vidhijeet Bhatchadla, 22; Ramesh Sharma, 60; and Nadiad's Vishal Trivedi, 20, along with Rajni Kant, 60, from Rajasthan. All injured passengers were shifted to a nearby hospital in Nadiad. A survivor told police he was jolted awake by a loud bang before screams erupted inside the bus as passengers realised what had happened.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the loss of lives, stating he was "deeply saddened by the loss of lives in a mishap in Anand, Gujarat" and offering prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured. The investigation into the exact circumstances of the collision remains underway.
