4 min readVadodaraUpdated: Sep 30, 2026 03:04 PM IST
The Anand police said most of the passengers were asleep when the bus collided with the truck, crushing those occupying seats and sleeper berths on one side. (Express Photo)
Five people were killed, and several others were seriously injured when a luxury bus carrying passengers from Surat to Rajasthan slammed into a truck on the Vadodara-Ahmedabad Expressway in Anand district early Wednesday.
The accident occurred around 4 am, seven hours after the private bus left Surat. The police said most of the passengers were asleep when the bus collided with the truck, crushing those occupying seats and sleeper berths on one side.
“The bus had tried to overtake the truck on the expressway when the accident occurred. Five persons have been killed and the injured have been taken to hospitals. The investigation is underway,” G G Jasani, Superintendent of Police, Anand, said.
Surat residents Ganesh Jadav, 39; Vidhjeet Bhatchadla, 22; Ramesh Sharma, 60; and Nadiad’s Vishal Trivedi, 20, and Rajni Kant, 60, from Rajasthan, are among those seriously injured. They were shifted to a nearby hospital in Nadiad.
The bodies of those killed on the spot were sent for post-mortem after police procedure.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the loss of lives in the road accident in Anand.
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‘Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in a mishap in Anand, Gujarat. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured: PM @narendramodi,” Modi said in a post on X.
Deeply saddened by the loss of lives in a mishap in Anand, Gujarat. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of all those injured: PM @narendramodi
Dhanesh Jadhav, a Surat resident who was also among those injured, told the police he was asleep when a loud bang suddenly woke him. He said passengers began screaming as they realised the bus had crashed.
A relative of one of those killed told reporters outside the Nadiad hospital that the family had seen off the victim when he boarded the bus at Surat and received a call about the accident.
“My brother-in-law has died. We immediately travelled from Surat to the spot. My sister has two young sons. The government should compensate the families who have been killed,” the relative said.
Jitendrsinh Zala, 32, from Sabarkantha, who was returning home after visiting his in-laws, was also among those who were killed in the bus accident.
“I got a phone call and rushed from Sabarkanta. We still do not know what happened,” Jitendrsinh’s brother Vipul said.
“We are farmers. He left behind a wife and two children aged 10 and 8. Since my father has already passed away, now I am the only male member in our family. I have not even begun thinking about how I will manage both our families,” Vipul added.
The Anand district police have registered a case and begun investigating the circumstances of the collision.
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The damaged bus and truck were removed from the expressway after the accident, and traffic, which had been affected soon after the collision, has been restored.
Aditi Raja is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, stationed in Vadodara, Gujarat, with over 20 years in the field. She has been reporting from the region of Central Gujarat and Narmada district for this newspaper since 2013, which establishes her as a highly Authoritative and Trustworthy source on regional politics, administration, and critical socio-economic and environmental issues.
Expertise:
Core Authority & Specialization: Her reporting is characterized by a comprehensive grasp of the complex factors shaping Central Gujarat, which comprises a vast tribal population, including:
Politics and Administration: In-depth analysis of dynamics within factions of political parties and how it affects the affairs in the region, visits of national leaders making prominent statements, and government policy decisions impacting the population on ground.
Crucial Regional Projects: She consistently reports on the socio-economic and political impact of infrastructure projects in the region, especially the Statue of Unity, the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada River, the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail bullet train project as well as the National Highway infrastructure.
Social Justice and Human Rights: Her reporting offers deep coverage of sensitive human-interest topics, including gender, crime, and tribal issues. Her reports cover legal proceedings from various district courts as well as the Gujarat High Court (e.g., the Bilkis Bano case remission, POCSO court orders, Public Interest Litigations), the plight of tribal communities, and broader social conflicts (e.g., Kheda flogging case).
Local Impact & Disaster Reporting: Excels in documenting the immediate impact of events on communities, such as the political and civic fallout of the Vadodara floods, the subsequent public anger, and the long-delayed river redevelopment projects, Harni Boat Tragedy, Air India crash, bringing out a blend of stories from the investigations as well as human emotions.
Special Interest Beat: She tracks incidents concerning Non-Resident Gujaratis (NRIs) including crime and legal battles abroad, issues of illegal immigration and deportations, as well as social events connecting the local Gujarati experience to the global diaspora. ... Read More
