Vadodara: Four people were killed and five others injured after a Maruti Eeco van travelling on the wrong side of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway collided head-on with a truck near Vadodara late on Saturday night.

According to police, the accident took place around 11.30 pm near Samiyala village on the outskirts of the city. The victims were travelling from Ampad village in Vadodara to a temple in Mehsana to fulfil a religious vow.

Investigators said the van’s driver, Narendrasinh Rathod, mistakenly entered the Mumbai-bound carriageway instead of the Ahmedabad-bound side of the expressway. After driving for nearly four kilometres, he reportedly realised the error and allegedly made a U-turn, proceeding in the wrong direction on the same carriageway.

The van later collided with a truck near the toll plaza within the Laxmipura village limits, resulting in a fatal crash.

The deceased have been identified as Gauri Solanki, Dalpat Mewada, Narendrasinh Rathod, and Prahlad Barad.

Five other occupants sustained injuries and were rushed to hospital for treatment. The injured have been identified as Kanu Mewada, Ramesh Solanki, Laxmi Solanki, and Dharmishtha Barad, while the identity of one injured person was not immediately available.

Police have registered a case under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Motor Vehicles Act, and further investigation is underway. DeshGujarat