An Entire Bus Torn Apart at Dawn
A horrifying road accident shook Vadodara, Gujarat, in the early hours, claiming the lives of seven people, among them a nine-year-old child. A Balaji Travels luxury sleeper bus, ferrying passengers from the Banswara and Dungarpur belt of Rajasthan towards Surat, crashed into the rear of a truck parked along the roadside near Kotambi Stadium. The impact was so violent that the bus was reduced to a mangled wreck, and within seconds the cries of sleeping passengers filled the area.
According to information available, the crash occurred at around 3:30 to 4:00 am. As the bus neared Kotambi Stadium, the driver failed to spot the stationary truck in time and ploughed straight into it. Seven passengers died on the spot, while 27 others were seriously injured. The injured have been admitted to the SSG Hospital in Vadodara for treatment.
A Lengthy Rescue Operation
As soon as word of the crash spread, teams from the NDRF, SDRF, the local police and the Vadodara fire department rushed to the scene. Surendra Singh, Commandant of the NDRF's 6th Battalion, said that his team reached the spot with modern cutters and rescue equipment after receiving the alert at 4:40 am.
Rescuers cut through the body of the badly damaged bus to pull out 24 people safely, while the bodies trapped inside the wreckage were recovered only after a hard struggle. Once the operation was complete, both vehicles were cleared off the road and traffic was restored.
Treatment at the Trauma Centre, One Passenger Critical
Vadodara Deputy Mayor Aditya Patel visited the SSG Hospital to review the situation. He said more than 26 seriously injured patients were undergoing intensive treatment at the hospital's emergency trauma centre. One of them remains in an extremely critical condition and is being shifted to the ICU. Most of the passengers caught in the accident are said to be residents of Banswara and Dungarpur in Rajasthan.
The Passengers Who Lost Their Lives
So far, seven deaths have been confirmed in this tragic bus-truck collision. The deceased include:
- Vinod Naresh Damor, 30
- Mukesh Jivaji Dindor, 34
- Preet Hitesh Bhatia, 9
- Mahendra Kumar Bhogilal Pandya, 68
- Pinki Bhatia, 36
- Harjingbhai Valjibhai Katara, 30
Besides these, an unidentified man also died in the accident, and the process to establish his identity is still under way.
Key Injured Admitted to Hospital
The passengers injured in the Vadodara bus accident are being treated across various hospitals. The main injured admitted for treatment include:
- Pinki Raval, 40
- Manisha Raval, 16
- Ramchandra Doria, 26
- Shilpa Patidar, 23
- Mahendra Katara, 32
- Ashish Yadav, 12
- Ashish Katara, 10
- Bansilal Rane, 20
- Jivrajbhai, 27
- Gunjanben, 22
- Narachya, 30
- Pintu Charpot, 25
- Vijay Katara, 22
- Bherulal Meena, 34
- Seema Yadav, 35
- Sagar Katara, 45
- Bhagwati Bhai, 40
- Kalpesh Gaur, 20
- Pailben Nai, 35
- Sheel, 36
- Sureshbhai Dindor, 22
- Rameshbhai, 28
- Pankajbhai Charpot, 25
- Mayaben Patidar, 30
- Kamleshbhai Katara, 30
