A tragic road accident on the Vadodara-Halol highway in Gujarat early Wednesday morning claimed at least six lives and left several others seriously injured after a sleeper bus rammed into a stationary truck loaded with sand near Kotambi village.
The accident happened around 4 a.m., when a Balaji Travels sleeper coach traveling from Rajasthan to Surat crashed into the back of the parked truck. At first sight, speeding or driver fatigue could be to blame for the tragic collision, but the exact cause is still being investigated.
The impact was so strong that the front part of the bus was mangled. The bus was virtually destroyed and many passengers were inside the wreckage when rescue teams stormed in. Firefighters, police and emergency workers scoured the twisted metal to free those trapped inside for hours.
At least 24 passengers were rescued from the damaged vehicle. They were brought to SSG Hospital, Vadodara, and medical facilities. Some passengers suffered serious injuries, and officials fear that the number of casualties will go up if some victims remain in critical condition.
The victims were identified as nine-year-old Preet Bhatia, Vinod Damor (30), Mukesh Dindor (34) and Mahendra Pandya (68), whose identities are not yet confirmed at the time of writing. The deaths of multiple passengers, from various age groups, even that of a young child, has compounded the tragedy.
Survivors recalled scenes of panic and confusion on the morning of the crash. One passenger described waking up to a shock that felt more like an electric shock and then waking up to the bus crashing into the truck. Within seconds, passengers were calling for help from a passenger who couldn’t seem to understand what was happening when they pleaded for help.
As rescue efforts continued throughout the morning, worried relatives started arriving at hospitals looking for information about their loved ones. For many families, what was a routine overnight trip turned into a nightmare.
The incident has once again raised serious traffic safety issues in India and particularly for long-distance overnight buses. Driver fatigue, speeding and poorly marked stationary vehicles on highways have been identified as the biggest concerns for road safety experts, they said.
A comprehensive investigation has been launched into the crash and all elements such as the condition of the bus, the positioning of the truck and the driver's condition prior to the accident are being looked into.
With many passengers still suffering serious injuries, the focus now is on medical treatment and support for affected families as Gujarat is coping with another heartbreaking road tragedy.
