Four die as wrong-side driving leads to bike collision

Rajkot: Four men, including two teenagers, died in a severe head-on collision between two motorcycles near the Porbandar Airport on Monday, with the accident being caused by wrong-side driving.The deceased are Milan Badarshahi (26), Dipesh Dhakecha (18), Vanraj Zala (17) and Piyush Lodhari (28).A fifth man, Pratik Jethwa, is being treated for injuries sustained in the crash.Preliminary inquiries revealed that one rider, on a Bullet, was driving on the wrong side and both motorcycles were at high speed. The impact was so severe that three victims — Badarshahi, Dhakecha and Zala — died on the spot, according to sources in Udhyog Nagar police station.Badarshahi lived in the Bokhira housing scheme, while Dhakecha and Zala were residents of the Modi Plot areaEmergency services, including the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) team, rushed to the site.Lodhari and Jethwa were first taken to Bhavsinhji Hospital in Porbandar. However, Lodhari succumbed to his injuries while being transferred to Jamnagar for advanced treatment.It was reported that the group belonging to the Valmiki community was on its way back to Porbandar from a religious event in Ranavav when the accident occurred.Udhyog Nagar police registered a case and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the collision. The loss of four young lives has plunged the Kharva and Valmiki communities into mourning.