Vadodara: At least six passengers were killed and at least 30 injured after a luxury bus travelling from Rajasthan to Gujarat collided with a stationary truck near the Kotambi International Cricket Stadium in Vadodara around 4 am on Wednesday.
The dead included a nine-year-old child.
Operated by Balaji Travels, the bus was carrying passengers from Banswara in Rajasthan to Surat in Gujarat. Several passengers were trapped inside the mangled vehicle, triggering an emergency rescue operation.
The impact was so severe that the bus driver’s cabin was completely crushed. Passengers in the front seats were pulled out after the fire department cut open the side of the vehicle.
Four of the six victims have been identified as Vinod Damor, 30, Mukesh Dindor (34), Preet Bhatia (9), nine, and Mahendra Pandya (68). Two children, aged 12 and 10, are among the injured, as reported by The Indian Express.
Rescue operations were carried out by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), which has its headquarters in Jarod, about 8 km from the accident site, the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services Department, and the police.
The control room received the alert at 4.40 am, Surendra Singh, commandant, 6Bn NDRF, said.
“On reaching the spot, we found a heavy collision between a passenger bus and a truck. The team immediately launched rescue operations using cutting tools and other advanced equipment,” he said.
By the time the operation ended, 24 people had been pulled out safely, while five bodies were recovered from the wreckage. A sixth death was confirmed separately. Singh said the rescue teams conducted a final sweep to ensure no one was trapped before ending the operation.
The injured passengers were shifted to SSG Hospital in Vadodara for treatment. One of the injured, Bansilal, told the media that he had been travelling from Rajasthan to Surat for work and was asleep when the crash occurred. “It felt like an electric shock,” he said.
Tthe side of the truck was split open due to the collision. This resulted in the spilling of hundreds of heavy sacks onto the road, blocking the busy highway. The road was later cleared and reopened to traffic
A case has been registered at Waghodia police station and an investigation is underway, officials said.
Vadodara mayor Geeta Makwana, deputy mayor Aditya Patel, and other BJP leaders rushed to SSG Hospital to meet the injured.
