Mangled SUV damaged beyond recognition after head-on collision with bus; 4 dead

Four people, including two women, were killed after their SUV collided head-on with a bus coming from the opposite direction on the Jodhpur-Barmer highway here on Tuesday, police said.

Some passengers of the bus, which was going to Balotara from Jodhpur, were also injured in the collision, they said.

Due to the impact of the collision, the SUV got stuck under the bus. Passersby rushed to rescue the passengers but they couldn't do much. Two cranes were deployed to pull out the SUV from under the bus and take out the bodies, the police said.

Shankar Patel, a compounder from Barmer's Ajeet town, was taking a patient and her two family members to Jodhpur for treatment in his car, Additional DCP (West) Umesh Ojha said.

"Between Lunawas and Bhandu villages on the Jodhpur-Barmer highway, he attempted to overtake a vehicle. He did not notice the bus coming from the opposite direction. He rammed his SUV into the bus while speeding to overtake the other vehicle," the officer said.

Patel and the three passengers of the car died on the spot, he added.

The impact of the collision left the front portion of the SUV badly mangled, Ojha said.

Some passengers of the bus and the driver sustained minor injuries and were taken to hospital for treatment, he said.