Six people, including a nine-year-old child, were killed and around 30 others injured when a luxury bus travelling from Rajasthan to Gujarat crashed into a stationary truck near Kotambi International Cricket Stadium in Vadodara at around 4 am on Wednesday.

The bus, operated by Balaji Travels, was carrying passengers from Banswara in Rajasthan to Surat in Gujarat. The impact was severe enough to trap several passengers inside the mangled vehicle, triggering an emergency rescue operation. The bus driver’s cabin was crushed, and passengers in the front seats were pulled out after the fire department cut open the side of the vehicle.

Four of the six victims have been identified as Vinod Damor, 30, Mukesh Dindor, 34, Preet Bhatia, nine, and Mahendra Pandya, 68. Among the injured are two children aged 12 and 10.

#ExpressGujarat | #Vadodara accident: 6 killed, 30 injured after bus hits stationary truck

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The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)—its headquarters in Jarod is about 8 km from the accident site—the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), the Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services Department, and the police were involved in the rescue operation.

Surendra Singh, NDRF’s 6th Battalion Commandant, said that the control room received the alert at 4.40 am. “On reaching the spot, we found a heavy collision between a passenger bus and a truck. The team immediately launched rescue operations using cutting tools and other advanced equipment,” he said.

When the operation ended, 24 people had been pulled out safely, while five bodies were recovered from the wreckage. A sixth death was confirmed separately. Singh said the rescue teams conducted a final sweep to ensure no one was trapped before ending the operation.

Around 30 injured passengers were shifted to SSG Hospital in Vadodara for treatment. One injured passenger, Bansilal, told the media that he had been travelling from Rajasthan to Surat for work and was asleep when the crash occurred. “It felt like an electric shock,” he said.

Highway traffic blocked

The collision caused the side of the truck to split open, spilling hundreds of heavy sacks onto the road and blocking the busy highway. The road was later cleared and reopened to traffic

Senior police officials said that a case has been registered at Waghodia police station and an investigation is underway.

Vadodara Mayor Geeta Makwana, Deputy Mayor Aditya Patel, and other BJP leaders rushed to SSG Hospital to meet the injured.