Gujarat: A devastating road accident in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district claimed four lives and left at least 10 passengers injured after a private luxury bus caught fire following a collision with a bitumen tanker late Wednesday night.
The incident took place near Sangani village along the busy Chotila-Rajkot National Highway. According to police officials, the accident occurred when the Ahmedabad-to-Rajkot bus rammed into a tanker carrying hot bitumen that was travelling ahead of it.
The impact triggered a massive blaze, quickly engulfing the front portion of the bus and causing panic among passengers onboard.
Deputy Superintendent of Police S.S. Bhadauria said the accident was reported around 1:30 am. He confirmed that around 40 passengers were travelling in the vehicle at the time of the crash.
Several passengers managed to escape after locals and emergency responders rushed to the spot, helping evacuate those trapped inside. However, four passengers were unable to make it out and were burnt to death in the intense fire.
Deputy Collector H.T. Makwana confirmed the fatalities and said 10 others sustained burn injuries of varying severity. The injured were shifted to Rajkot Civil Hospital for medical treatment.
The bodies of the deceased were sent to a hospital in Chotila for post-mortem examination.
Fire brigade teams reached the location shortly after receiving information and managed to control the flames after a difficult operation.
Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the collision and whether negligence or mechanical failure played a role in the tragedy.
