Fourteen people were killed and three others grievously injured when a truck hit a mini bus carrying 17 pilgrims near Valthera Patiya village of Ahmedabad district, police said on Saturday.
The accident took place late on Friday night when the bus, carrying pilgrims from Sokhda village in Rajkot district, collided head-on with a speeding truck, they said.
“The victims were all coming from Pavagadh — a pilgrimage site in Panchmahals district of Gujarat — and were on their way back home at Sokhda in Rajkot district when the accident took place. The driver of the truck escaped with his vehicle. We are looking for the truck,” an official of Koth Police Station in Dholka taluka said.
The incident took place on Dholka-Bagodara Highway killing 14 persons on the spot, while three injured have been rushed to Ahmedabad civil hospital, DYSP H J Parmar of Dholka said.
“Efforts are on to nab the truck driver, who is absconding after the mishap,” Parmar said.
The deceased were identified as Jagdish Vanaliya (32), Sagar Jingariya (19), Damji Sarvaiya (35), Dilip Jingariya (28), Mehul Jingariya (19), Jayesh Jingariya (25), Ramesh Jingariya (17), Lalo Jingariya (17), Ramesh Sarvaiya (35), Jaydeep Jingariya (44), Sanjay Rathod (23), Jitesh Jingariya (20), Rashik Methani (23) and Shiva Jingariya (40).
A bandh is being observed in Sokhda town on Saturday as a mark of respect to the departed souls.
