9 Dead in Bus, SUV Crash in India

Nine people died and 28 were injured in a horrific crash between a bus and an SUV car in Gujarat's Navsari district early on Saturday morning. 

A bus full of people returning from the Pramukh Swami Maharaj Shatabdi Mahotsav event from Surat rammed into a Toyota Fortuner car on the Navsari national highway number 48 after the driver suffered a heart attack and lost control of the vehicle, reports NDTV.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment, where he died. Eight of the nine occupants of the car died, and 28 people in the bus were injured. 11 were taken to a private hospital. The bus was going from Surat to Valsad.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief, and announced compensation for the victims.

"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 ₹ 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Those injured would be given ₹ 50,000," he tweeted.

The accident occurred near Vesma village, while the SUV was coming from the opposite direction, Navsari Superintendent of Police (SP) Rushikesh Upadhyay said.

Those travelling in the SUV were residents of Ankleshwar in Gujarat, and they were on their way back to their hometown from Valsad, Mr Upadhyay said, adding that the passengers of the bus were from Valsad.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah condoled the deaths in a Twitter post.

"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," he tweeted in Gujarati.

The crash led to traffic disruption on the highway, after which the police got the bus removed from the road using a crane and traffic resumed as usual.

PM Modi addressed the inaugural function of the Pramukh Swami Maharaj Shatabdi Mahotsav in Ahmedabad on December 14. 

The event started on December 15 and is scheduled to go on till January 15, 2023.