At least nine people were killed and several injured in a collision between a bus and a sports utility vehicle (SUV) early Saturday morning in Gujarat’s Navsari district, police said. VN Patel, deputy superintendent of police, Navsari, said that the accident occurred on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai highway.
“One seriously injured has been referred to Surat,” ANI quoted Patel as saying.
According to a PTI report, eight of the nine person travelling in the SUV and the driver of the luxury bus died on the spot, Navsari Superintendent of Police (SP) Rushikesh Upadhyay said. Those travelling in the SUV were residents of Ankleshwar and were on their way back to their hometown from Valsad, Upadhyay said, adding that the passengers of the bus hailed from Valsad.
Expressing grief over the deaths, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased.
“Pained by the loss of lives due to a road accident in Navsari. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover soon. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Those injured would be given Rs. 50,000,” the Prime Minister’s Office said.
Union home minister Amit Shah expressed condolences to the family members of those who lost their lives in the accidents.
“The road accident in Gujarat’s Navsari is heartbreaking. My condolences to those who have lost their families in this tragedy. May god give them the strength to bear the pain. The local administration is giving immediate treatment to the injured, praying for their speedy recovery,” Shah said in a tweet in Gujarati.
(With inputs from ANI, PTI)
