7 dead, 40 injured in Surat bus collision

At least seven persons were killed, and around 40 were injured after two buses operated by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) collided near Bardoli town in Gujarat’s Surat district on Tuesday, and one of them caught fire, police said.

All the deceased were travelling in the bus that caught fire.  The incident occurred on National Highway No 53 near Uva village, officials said, adding that the road connects Maharashtra with Gujarat. Surat district Superintendent of Police Rajesh Ghadhiya said one of the buses was travelling from Surat to Dhule, while the other was headed towards Surat from Chalisgaon in Maharashtra. “On the highway from Bardoli to Vyara, the bus headed to Maharashtra hit a tractor. After losing balance, it jumped the divider and collided with the bus coming from the Maharashtra side, causing it to overturn and land in a low-lying area beside the road. The bus caught fire,” said Ghadhiya.

He said teams of police, fire brigade and officials from Surat and the neighbouring Tapi district rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations immediately.