Twelve people were killed and 21 injured in a head-on collision between a minibus and a truck near Gadu village in the district on Saturday. "A minibus going to Veraval collided with a truck coming from opposite direction near Gadu village. Five persons were killed on the spot and seven died either on way to the hospital or during treatment," police said. At least 21 others were injured, and are being treated at the hospital in Veraval.
In another incident that occurred on Friday, tragedy struck devotees who were returning from Dakor on the New Year's Day when a tractor trolley carrying them was hit by a truck with a Madhya Pradesh state registration coming from the opposite direction near Veganpur village of Godhra taluka, police said.
While 18 people died on the spot after being crushed under the trolley, one person died at the Godhra civil hospital and two others succumbed to their injuries at the SSG Hospital in Vadodara. Eleven of the dead were women.
Over 20 persons injured in the incident are undergoing treatment at Godhra Civil Hospital and SSG hospital in Vadodara city, police said, adding all the bodies were sent for post-mortem at the Godhra Civil Hospital. The victims were returning to their native village Malukatu in Godhra after visiting a nearby temple when the mishap occurred, police said. A case has been registered against the driver of the truck who is absconding, they said. The Gujarat government has announced a compensation of Rs1,00,000 for the family of those killed in the mishap, officials in the Chief Minister's office said. Upto Rs50,000 would be given to those who were injured and were treated at private hospitals, they said, adding that for those admitted to government hospitals treatment would be free of charge.
(With Agencies)
