Vadodara-Ahmedabad Expressway Crash Kills 5, Injures 5

ANAND: A journey from Surat to Rajasthan turned into a nightmare early Wednesday morning when a Sai Darshan Travels bus rammed into a truck on the Vadodara-Ahmedabad Expressway near Boriyavi in Anand district, killing five people and critically injuring five others.

The impact triggered panic inside the bus as most passengers were asleep when the collision occurred. A loud crash jolted them awake, leaving several passengers trapped and severely injured.

Locals and police rushed to the spot after receiving information about the accident. Rescue operations were launched with the help of residents, while the bodies of the deceased were sent for post-mortem examinations.

Several injured passengers suffered serious injuries to their heads, arms and legs. Rajnikantbhai was reported to be in critical condition. Among the deceased was Jitendrasinh Natvarsinh Jhala, a resident of Badodara village in Sabarkantha’s Talod taluka.

Jhala had travelled to Surat to visit his in-laws and was returning home after staying there for seven to eight days. His family was informed about his death during the night.

His brother Vipulsinh said, “We received a call last night informing us that my brother had died in an accident. We do not know how the accident occurred. My father is no longer alive, so I am the only one left now.”

Another relative, Nimeshbhai, said the family had seen Jhala off from Surat at around 9 pm. “At 3:15 am, we received a call informing us that the accident had taken place. My brother-in-law has died, so we immediately rushed here from Surat. My sister has two young sons. We demand compensation from the government,” he said.

The RMO at Nadiad Civil Hospital said six patients were brought to the facility, including one who was declared dead on arrival. Of the five injured, two were referred to Vadodara and one to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. One remained admitted at Nadiad, while another was discharged after treatment.

Injured passenger Dhanesh Jadhav recalled that he was asleep when a sudden loud crash caused chaos inside the bus.

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. Traffic on the expressway was disrupted briefly but was later restored after the damaged vehicles were removed.