Woman, daughter-in-law die as bus overturns near Gondal

Rajkot: A woman and her daughter-in-law were killed and about 20 others injured after a private bus ferrying pilgrims to religious places overturned near Gondal town of Rajkot district around 4:30am on Monday.

According to the police, the accident occurred near Vorakotda village when the bus driver attempted to reverse to let an oncoming truck pass on a narrow single-lane road.

The bus, carrying as many as 60 devotees, left Gondal on Sunday morning to visit religious places, including Bagdana. The incident took place on Monday when the devotees were returning

The driver lost control while reversing the vehicle, and the bus overturned into a roadside field situated below the elevated road, assistant superintendent of police, Rajkot Rural, Prakhar Kumar said.

“The road is narrow, and both vehicles cannot cross simultaneously. The bus driver reversed but misjudged the distance, causing the vehicle to overturn into the rocky field,” he said.

Two women seated near a window sustained fatal head injuries. Nearly 20 passengers suffered minor wounds.

The deceased were Shanta Makwana and her daughter-in-law Manju both residents of Gondal.