At least seven people were killed and around 40 others injured after two buses operated by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation collided near Bardoli town in Gujarat’s Surat district on Tuesday, and one of them caught fire, police said.
All the deceased were riding the bus that caught fire.
The accident occurred on National Highway 53 near Uva village, officials said, adding that the road connects Maharashtra to Gujarat.
Surat District Superintendent of Police, Rajesh Ghadia, said that one of the buses was traveling from Surat to Dhule, while the other was heading towards Surat from Chalisgaon in Maharashtra.
“On the highway from Bardoli to Vyara, the bus heading to Maharashtra collided with a tractor. After losing balance, it jumped the barrier and collided with the bus coming from the Maharashtra side, causing it to overturn and land in a low area next to the road. The bus caught fire,” Ghadia said.
He added that police and fire teams and officials from Surat and neighboring Tapi district rushed to the scene and began rescue operations immediately.
He added, “We rescued a number of passengers trapped on the bus and transferred the injured to Bardoli Hospital. About 40 people sitting on the two buses were injured, while seven people lost their lives. All of the deceased were on the bus that caught fire.”
In Mumbai, state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik announced financial assistance of $100 million $$10,000 to each of the families of those killed in the bus accident, describing it as “extremely tragic and painful.”
The MSRTC Chairman also paid tribute to the passengers and MSRTC staff who lost their lives in the accident and conveyed his condolences to their families, according to a statement.
“Assistance will be provided to the heirs of the deceased $“10,000 each,” Sarnaik said.
He directed the authorities to ensure the provision of free and best possible medical treatment to the injured passengers.
