Gujarat bus fire tragedy: 4 killed, 10 injured after sleeper coach crashes into tanker on Rajkot Highway
PTC Web Desk: At least four persons lost their lives and 10 others sustained injuries after a private sleeper bus caught fire following a collision with an asphalt tanker on the Chotila-Rajkot National Highway in Gujarat’s Surendranagar district during the early hours of Thursday.
According to police officials, the accident took place near Sangani village in Chotila taluka at around 1.30 am. The bus, operated by Madhuram Travels, was travelling from Ahmedabad to Junagadh and was carrying more than 25 passengers when it reportedly crashed into the tanker from behind.
The impact of the collision sparked a massive fire that quickly engulfed the sleeper coach, leaving the vehicle completely gutted within minutes. Panic spread among passengers as flames rapidly spread through the bus.
Surendranagar Superintendent of Police Prem Sukh Delu said the tanker was moving ahead of the bus when one of its tyres burst on the highway, forcing the driver to stop abruptly. The bus then rammed into the vehicle, triggering the blaze.
Deputy Superintendent of Police SS Bhadoriya said the driver of the tanker fled the spot soon after the accident. He added that the bodies recovered from the bus were charred beyond recognition, making visual identification impossible. Authorities are likely to conduct DNA tests to establish the identities of the deceased.
The police suspect that the bus driver and a woman passenger seated near the front are among those killed in the incident.
Several passengers were rescued after local residents rushed to the spot and broke open the bus windows to help those trapped inside escape. Fire brigade teams and police personnel later brought the fire under control after an extensive rescue operation.
The injured passengers were shifted to hospitals in Rajkot and Chotila for treatment, while the bodies were sent to Chotila Referral Hospital for postmortem examination.
An investigation has been launched into the incident.
- With inputs from agencies
