At least seven people were killed and around 15 others injured after a major road accident involving two Maharashtra State Transport (ST) buses and a tractor near Uva-Manekpor village in Bardoli taluka of Gujarat's Surat district on Tuesday, officials said.
According to preliminary information, a Maharashtra ST bus travelling from Dhule to Surat via Navapur collided with a tractor moving ahead of it on the highway. The impact caused the bus to cross the central divider and crash head-on into another Maharashtra ST bus approaching from the opposite direction.
One of the buses carried about 25 to 26 passengers, while the other had about 33 to 35. The collision caused one of the buses to overturn multiple times before bursting into flames. The bus then rolled down an embankment after the crash. Authorities said a number of passengers became trapped inside the vehicle after flames engulfed it, complicating rescue efforts.
Officials have so far confirmed seven deaths in the accident. However, authorities fear the toll could rise as some of the injured are reported to be in serious condition. Around 15 injured passengers were rescued from the wreckage and shifted to various hospitals for treatment.
Emergency teams continued to assess the condition of those involved while authorities worked to identify all passengers travelling on the buses. Fire brigade personnel, police officers, and ambulance teams rushed to the scene and launched a large-scale rescue and relief operation.
Firefighters battled the blaze while rescue workers evacuated passengers and searched the damaged vehicles for anyone trapped inside. The accident also triggered a lengthy traffic jam on the highway, with vehicular movement affected for several hours as emergency services cleared the site and conducted rescue operations.
Police have begun an investigation to determine the exact cause of the accident. Further details are awaited as authorities continue to collect information about the victims and the circumstances leading to the crash.