Surat: The death toll in the June collision between two Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses could have been higher had it not been for the prompt response of 24-year-old businessman Rahul Bharwad, who pulled 17 passengers from one of the buses after it overturned and caught fire.Bharwad, who was among the first to reach the bus, was recently felicitated by Surat rural police for his bravery.The June 2 collision claimed seven lives and left 40 people injured.Bharwad was riding his motorcycle from Bardoli towards Vyara when one of the MSRTC buses overtook him at high speed near Uva village on National Highway 53. The driver allegedly lost control and the bus crashed into a tractor carrying a water tank. The impact sent the bus across the road, where it collided head-on with another MSRTC bus travelling from Chalisgaon towards Surat.The second bus was thrown off the road, overturned and caught fire, trapping several passengers inside.Bharwad first rushed to the tractor to check on its driver before turning his attention to the overturned bus. Realising that the vehicle was on fire and passengers were trapped inside, he entered through the rear and began pulling them out before the flames could spread.“I had helped my friends rescue victims of road accidents on the Ahmedabad-Bhavnagar highway around two years ago. I knew that every second matters in such situations,” Bharwad said.As he began rescuing passengers, several truck drivers who had stopped at the scene joined him. Together, they pulled out several people as the fire spread through the bus.Bharwad also spotted the bus driver, who had been thrown out through the front windshield and was trapped among bushes. With the help of two others, he pulled the severely injured driver out and helped get him to hospital.Bharwad, a native of Bavaliyari village, said the passengers were in shock and desperately calling for help when he began the rescue.Surat rural SP Rajesh Gadhiya said Bharwad was honoured for rescuing 17 people. “His prompt action helped save lives. We felicitated him to encourage other citizens to come forward and help people in distress during such emergencies,” he said.
