Vadodara: Three youths were killed and two others seriously injured in a horrific road accident on National Highway 48 near Jambuva Bridge late on Tuesday night.

The victims, all residents of Surat’s Varachha area, were travelling to Bhavnagar when their car collided head-on with an ice cream truck coming from the opposite direction. The impact was so severe that the car was completely mangled, killing one occupant on the spot while others were declared dead later.

According to police, the accident occurred when the driver lost control of the vehicle while descending the bridge. The car jumped the divider, entered the opposite lane, and crashed into the oncoming truck.

The deceased have been identified as Gopalbhai Kohabhai Kamaliya (23), Yogesh Kishorebhai Chavda (24), and Ashishbhai Parmar (28). Two others, Hamirbhai Bhurabhai Bhuva and Dilipbhai Jethwa, sustained serious injuries and were shifted to SSG Hospital for treatment.

The group was on its way to attend a religious event at Mogal Dham in Bhaguda village of Bhavnagar district. Following the accident, passersby alerted emergency services, and a 108 ambulance, along with Kapurai police, rushed to the spot. The bodies were sent for postmortem and later handed over to the families.

Police have launched an investigation into the incident, including the role of the truck driver and the exact cause of the crash. The tragedy has left the victims’ families in deep shock and grief. DeshGujarat