In a tragic incident, at least 32 persons killed including nine women and four children as a truck carrying a marriage party overturned and fell down from a 20 ft high bridge in a water channel situated near Rangoda village on Rajkot — Bhavnagar highway on Tuesday morning.
According to official sources of the total deceased 27 died on the spot and five succumbed to serious injuries during treatment in Bhavnagar civil hospital. Death toll in the incident likely to increase as at least seven out of 40 is injured critically. Nearly 60 people were travelling on the truck.
Though groom Vijay Vaghela survived as he was travelling in other vehicle, his parents lost their lives in the tragic incident. The marriage party started journey early in the morning from Anida village in Bhavnagar district and was to reach at Tatam village in adjoining Botad district.
Sources said that all the deceased belonged to Koli community and more than 20 of them belonged to Anida village which has only 147 registered voters. There are only 35 odd families residing in the small hamlet of which almost one person either killed or injured seriously due to the fatal accident.
The tragic incident also echoed in the State Assembly during ‘zero hour’ in which ruling party’s MlA from Mahuva in Bhavnagar district RC Makavana raised concern over the incident and suggested the State Government to speed up treatment to injured with a view to curb death toll.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani instantly announced Rs 4 lakh to each victim’s families from Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. Rupani also instructed the Bhavnagar district administration to make arrangement for last rituals of all the deceased as well as best possible medical treatment to injure.