Ahmedabad accident: Car was moving at extremely high speed, says injured survivor

Ahmedabad, Jul 20 (PTI) The high-end car that caused the death of nine people on the ISKCON bridge here was moving at “extremely” high speed, according to an injured survivor of the deadly accident.

Altamash Qureshi was one of the bystanders who had gathered at an accident site on the bridge in Ahmedabad city on Thursday when a speeding car ploughed into them, killing nine people and injuring ten others.

“My friends and I went on the bridge after a Thar (SUV) met with an accident. Suddenly, a car came from behind and hit all of us. The speed of the car was extremely high. It ploughed into the crowd,” said Qureshi, who is being treated at Sola Civil Hospital.

The accident took place at around 1 am at the ISKCON bridge on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway in the Satellite area of the city when a speeding Jaguar car hit a crowd gathered there following an accident between a Thar and a truck, said the police.

After being hit by the Jaguar car, some of the victims were flung into the air and landed nearly 25 to 30 feet away. The stretch of the road turned red due to the spilled blood. The impact was such that the front portion of the car as well as its windscreen got completely damaged.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed grief over the incident and announced a compensation of Rs 4 lakh for the kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.

Sources said that the car driver, also a youngster, was thrashed by angry bystanders and a video of that beating was also captured by a person standing under the bridge.

The crossroads under the ISKCON bridge is a popular hangout spot for youngsters during night hours, as they gather there to have tea and snacks. Many people wanting to travel to other towns and cities also gather at the ISKCON crossroads to board buses or private vehicles.

Sources have revealed that most of the deceased and injured men were youngsters belonging to other cities and were living as paying guests in the city.