Ahmedabad: A pilgrimage trip turned tragic on Sunday when a private luxury bus carrying devotees overturned near Laheripura village on the Sevalia-Galteshwar Road in Kheda district, leaving a 65-year-old woman dead and injuring more than 30 passengers, police said.The bus was transporting devotees from Iyava village in Sanand taluka to Dakor and Galteshwar on the occasion of Adhik Maas Amavasya. According to Sevalia police, the passengers had visited Dakor and were heading to Galteshwar when the accident occurred around 11.15am.Police said the private bus was trying to negotiate a turn near a road divider cut between Ambav and Laheripura villages when the driver allegedly lost control of the steering wheel. The vehicle overturned into a roadside ditch, trapping several passengers inside.The impact triggered panic among passengers, many of them women and children. Local residents and motorists rushed to the spot after hearing cries for help and joined rescue efforts. Witnesses and emergency responders broke open windows and doors of the bus to pull out the injured.Several ambulances were deployed, and the injured were shifted to govt hospitals in Sevalia and nearby areas. Police said over 30 passengers sustained injuries of varying severity. At least 18 were later referred to Godhra Civil Hospital. Two of the injured were reported to be in serious condition.A 65-year-old woman, Pasi Solanki, who was travelling with the group, was taken to Thasra Community Health Centre, where doctors declared her dead.Based on a complaint lodged by a fellow passenger and relative, Vitthal Solanki, 50, Sevalia police registered a case against the bus driver for causing death due to negligent driving and under relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles Act.The mechanical condition of the vehicle is also being checked as part of the probe.Officials said statements of passengers and witnesses are being recorded, and further investigation is underway. The damaged bus has been seized.
