Palanpur: Six women were killed and eight others injured when a private bus crashed into their van on the National Highway- 48 near Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha district on Wednesday.The women were members of a catering team for social events, and they were going from Sardoi village of Modasa to Hunj village near Himmatnagar, police said.“Inspection of the accident spot suggests that the Eco van driver might have tried to take a turn from the cut on the highway when the bus hit the vehicle from behind,” said deputy superintendent of police A K Patel.The deceased were identified as Shakri Nayak, Kanta Ninama, Hetal Nayak and Sarla Bhoi, all residents of Sardoli village of Modasa district, and Meena Bhoi and Ashika Nayak, from Moyad village near Prantij in Sabarkantha.The injured persons were rushed to the Himmatnagar civil hospital. The condition of two of them was critical, the hospital’s medical officer, Dr Dhrupad Chauhan, said.Patel added that the police have verbally communicated to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to close the unauthorized cuts on the highway, which the drivers tend to use as shortcuts.
