New Delhi: A routine journey turned into a scene of utter devastation on Saturday when a speeding truck, violating traffic laws by driving on the wrong
side of the road, crashed into an Innova car on the Palanpur–Abu Highway. The horrific head-on collision, which occurred near Iqbalgarh in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district, claimed the seven passengers, residents of Rajasthan, on the spot and left three others fighting for their lives in a nearby hospital.
Twisted heap of metal
The force of the crash was so immense that the Innova (registration RJ-22-TA-3107) was reduced to a mangled wreck, while the truck (registration GJ-19-X-8823) overturned on the tarmac. The accident triggered a massive five-kilometre traffic jam, paralysing one of the region’s busiest transit routes as debris and vehicles blocked the highway.
Local heroics and emergency response
Upon receiving the alert, Amirgarh police, led by Police Inspector BD Gohil and Banaskantha SP Prashant Sumbe, rushed to the site. In a desperate race against time, police officers and local villagers worked together to pry open the crushed car to reach the victims trapped inside.
While seven passengers were declared dead on the spot, three survivors were pulled from the wreckage with critical injuries. They were rushed to a hospital in Palanpur via 108 ambulances for emergency treatment. The bodies of the deceased were moved to Amirgarh Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Victim families torn apart
The deceased were all travelling from Rajasthan, primarily from the Sirohi and Pali districts. Authorities have successfully identified six of the seven victims as Prakash Kalawant (36), the driver of the Innova and resident of Falna (Pali), Mohammad Hussain, Zinnat (his wife), and Mohammad Sharif, residents of Chhawani village, Shivganj (Sirohi).
The police identified the others as Deepak Singh, a resident of Abu Road (Sirohi), and an unnamed Victim, a resident of Pindwara (Sirohi). The police are trying to establish the identity of the seventh deceased passenger in the accident.
Negligence under investigation
Banaskantha SP Prashant Sumbe confirmed that a formal case has been registered against the truck driver. Preliminary investigations point squarely at the truck driver’s “gross negligence” and the fatal decision to drive against the flow of traffic on a high-speed highway.
“The truck was coming from the wrong side near Iqbalgarh. It collided with the oncoming Innova and overturned. Seven passengers died on the spot,” SP Sumbe said, adding that the investigation is ongoing to ensure the driver faces the full extent of the law for the carnage caused.
