Overview

• A Swift Dzire and a Tata Harrier collided head-on near Dedadara village in Surendranagar district around 3:30 PM on August 17, causing the smaller car to veer into a ditch and erupt in flames.
• Initial police statements reported seven deaths but subsequent official accounts and unverified sources raised the toll to eight or nine as agencies await postmortem and DNA confirmation.
• All victims in the Dzire were members of an extended family, including two children, and were so severely burnt that authorities are relying on personal effects and forensic testing for identification.
• Three passengers in the Harrier sustained minor injuries, and local residents, police, 108 emergency teams and the fire brigade overcame intense heat to extricate victims and restore highway traffic.
• Surendranagar Police have opened a formal inquiry into the crash, examining factors such as vehicle control, speed and monsoon-affected road conditions.