Disasters & Accidents

At least 9 dead, 29 injured in traffic accident in western India

New Delhi, Dec 31 (EFE).- At least nine people died and 29 were injured Saturday in the western state of Gujarat in India, following a collision between a bus and a car.

According to a statement to the media by Rushikesh Upadhyay, Superintendent of Police of Navsari – where the accident occurred -, nine people died and 29 were injured.

After initially hypothesizing that the car, an SUV, lost control, the police said the accident occurred as the bus driver suffered a heart attack.

Local broadcaster NDTV aired images of the completely destroyed SUV, whose eight occupants died on the spot.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who hails from Gujarat, tweeted he was “pained by the loss of lives due to a road accident in Navsari. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover soon.”

Modi also announced compensation of 200,000 rupees ($2,400) to the families of the dead, and 50,000 rupees to those injured.

In 2020, 131,714 people lost their lives and more than 348,279 were injured in some 366,138 road accidents in India, according to the latest data from the country’s Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. EFE

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