RAJKOT: Tragedy struck two families going to a marriage when a truck driving on the wrong side of a six-lane highway collided head-on with their rickshaw on the Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway on Tuesday evening.
The accident occurred near Maliyasan village, 10 km from Rajkot city towards Ahmedabad. The impact of the crash was so severe that the rickshaw was buried under the truck, with both vehicles veering off the highway.
Authorities called in a crane to lift the truck and retrieve the bodies by cutting the badly mangled rickshaw. Five people died on the spot, while one victim died on the way to the hospital.
Preliminary investigation revealed that the truck was registered in Uttar Pradesh. Following the accident, the truck driver abandoned the vehicle and fled the scene.
The deceased were identified as Yuvraj Raju Nakum (27), Bhumi Raju Nakum (35), Sharda Jina Nakum (50), Sheetal Yuvraj Solanki (29), Nandini Sagar Solanki (25), and her daughter Vedanshi (one year old). Anand Solanki (21), who was driving the rickshaw, survived the crash but is under treatment for severe injuries.
According to sources, all victims were family members who were going to Chotila town in Surendranagar district to attend a wedding. The Nakum family, including Yuvraj, Bhumi, and Anand, left from their native Jamnagar. Sharda Nakum, Sheetal Solanki, Nandini Solanki, and her daughter Vedanshi were residents of Anandpar Navagam village near Rajkot.
Upon learning about the tragic loss of his wife and daughter in the accident, Sagar lost consciousness and was rushed to the hospital.
The accident led to a massive traffic jam of about 5-6 km on the busy Rajkot-Ahmedabad highway, with police forced to stop movement on one side of the highway where the accident happened.
Police have initiated a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) investigation and are working to trace the truck owner and driver based on vehicle registration details. An FIR is being registered at Kuvadva Road police station.
Senior police officials, including Rajkot police commissioner Brajesh Kumar Jha, deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Traffic, and DCP Zone-1, reached the site to oversee the situation.
