Ahmedabad: 9 dead, 13 injured as speeding luxury car crashes into accident site

Police said that the accident occurred at around 1:15 am at ISKCON flyover on busy Sarkhej-Gandhinagar (SG) highway, which is reported to be prone to accidents.

In a tragic incident, 9 persons were killed while 13 suffered injuries after a speeding Jaguar SUV rammed into a crowd that had gathered at the site of the accident.

Police said that an SUV (Mahindra Thar) hit a dumper from behind leading to a commotion on the road, with a number of passersby blocking the road while many were trying to help the injured.

While the injured people were being sent to hospital, the Jaguar SUV, rammed into the crowd. Among the crowd were two policemen, a head constable (Dharmendrasinh Parmar) and a home guard jawan (Nilesh Khatik), who had reached the spot to manage the traffic after the first accident. Police said that out of nine, six persons were killed on the spot.

An angry mob thrashed the Jaguar driver who has been identified as Tathya Patel. Video footage of the accident showed a group of people kicking the driver, Patel, as he tries to come out of his crashed car, folding his hands and apologising. There were five other passengers in Patel's car who were detained by the police on Thursday for questioning.

Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi in a press conference said that Patel was admitted to a hospital and will be dealt severely as per the law. He also said that Tathya's father, Pragnesh Patel, also has criminal antecedents and police were looking into every angle of the incident.

He added that a charge sheet will be filed against the accused within a week and fast track trial will be conducted. The minister also said that the driver of the Thar, which caused the first accident, was a 17-year-old boy.

Police said that the accident occurred at around 1:15 am at the ISKCON flyover on a busy Sarkhej-Gandhinagar (SG) highway, which is reported to be prone to accidents. Reports stated that when Jaguar SUV hit the crowd many people were flung about 20 to 25 feet away from the scene.

Meanwhile, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel while expressing condolences on Twitter announced Rs 4 lakh ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh to each of the victims' kin while Rs 50,000 to the injured ones. Sanghavi also tweeted that among the victims were two policemen. He added that "strict action against the culprits" will be taken.

અમદાવાદના ઇસ્કોન બ્રિજ પર ગત રાત્રે થયેલ અકસ્માત ખૂબ દુઃખદ છે. અકસ્માતમાં જીવ ગુમાવનાર મૃતકોના પરિવારજનો પ્રત્યે આત્મીય સંવેદના વ્યક્ત કરું છું. ઇજાગ્રસ્તો ઝડપથી સાજા થાય તેવી ઈશ્વરને પ્રાર્થના. રાજ્ય સરકાર મૃતકોના પરિવારજનોને રૂ. 4 લાખ અને ઇજાગ્રસ્તોને રૂ. 50,000 ની સહાય કરશે.

— Bhupendra Patel (@Bhupendrapbjp) July 20, 2023

The other victims have been identified as Nirav Ramanuj, 22, a resident of Ahmedabad, Aman Kutchi, 25, a resident of Surendranagar, Krunal Kodiya, 23, Botad, Ronak Vihalpara, 23, Botad, Arman Anil Vadhvaniya, 21, Surendranagar, Akshar Chavda, 21, a resident of Botad.