SURAT: Three youths were killed, and another was seriously injured after the motorcycle they were travelling on plunged more than 50 feet from a bridge at Kudsad village in Olpad taluka of Gujarat’s Surat district, police said.
The accident occurred between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday when all four youths were riding on a single motorcycle.
According to Police Inspector K.A. Jadeja, the motorcycle struck the bridge’s safety barrier at a sharp curve, throwing all four riders onto the railway bridge below.
The deceased have been identified as Vikas Hiralal Verma, 19; Saurabh Ramlout Yadav, 18; and Vikas Chhotlal Verma, 26. "Abhishek Verma, who was riding the motorcycle, survived the accident and is undergoing treatment at Surat Civil Hospital," police said.
Speaking to IANS, Jadeja said the injured youth had told police that the light of an oncoming truck had affected the rider’s vision as they approached the curve, preventing him from negotiating the turn.
“He told us that a truck was approaching from the opposite direction and its headlights affected his vision, because of which they could not take the turn,” she said.
The police inspector, however, said the exact circumstances leading to the accident were yet to be established.
The stretch has a sharp curve, and the motorcycle was carrying four people when it hit the barrier and fell below. Police have not confirmed the identity of the truck or established whether it was directly involved in the accident.
A 108 emergency ambulance team reached the spot after being alerted and shifted the injured youth to a hospital.
The police have initiated an investigation and are seeking to establish the sequence of events based on the survivor’s account. The four youths are residents of Sayan village in the Olpad area.
Police said preliminary information suggested that they might have been employed at industries in the area, though their occupations had not yet been confirmed.
Jadeja said the police are gathering details from the surviving youth to determine how the accident occurred.
"The bodies are being handled at different locations, with two of the deceased associated with Sayod and one with Surat," she said.