Surat bus crash: All 7 bodies identified, 3 from Maharashtra, 4 from Gujarat

3 min readJun 7, 2026 02:44 PM IST

Both buses were operated by the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) and belonged to a depot in the neighbouring Dhule district. (Photo Enhanced using AI)

The bodies of seven persons killed in the June 2 accident involving two Maharashtra State Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses have been identified and were handed over to their relatives on Friday night to carry out final rites, police said.

At least seven persons on board a MSRTC bus were killed and 40 others were injured after it caught fire following its head-on collision with another bus, near Bardoli town in Surat district on Tuesday.

Over 20 passengers are still undergoing treatment at various hospitals in Surat and Bardoli. The bodies were charred in such a way that they could not be identified. Following the accident, only one of the deceased was identified: Ghanshyam Barkale (45), a resident of Jalgaon district in Maharashtra, who was driving the Jamer-Surat bus. Later, blood samples of the kin of those feared dead were collected for DNA test. On Friday, the Surat FSL submitted their reports of the DNA test following which the bodies were handed over to their families.

The six other deceased have been identified as Manishaben Patil (58), a resident of Dindoli in Surat, Naresh Nerpagar (40), a resident of Parvat village in Surat city, Madhukar Patil (55), and his wife Archana Patil (52), both residents of Dastan village in Surat district, Dhanlaxmi Jadav, (53), a resident of Palghar district in Maharashtra and Asiya Vagh (35), a resident of Dhule in Maharashtra.

Bardoli police inspector V N Sengal said, “We have handed over the bodies to their relatives on Saturday to carry out final rites.”

As per the police complaint filed by Sopandev Shivsagar, conductor of the bus that caught fire, who hails from Jalgaon, 36 passengers boarded the bus which started from Surat around 7:30 am on Tuesday.

The complaint added, “When the bus was crossing Uva village in Bardoli, another Maharashtra state transport bus jumped the road divider and rammed into our bus, which overturned. I immediately stepped out of the bus and pulled out five passengers from our bus. Suddenly, an explosion happened on our bus and a fire broke out. Several passengers from the other bus were also injured. The rescue team, along with the police, arrived soon and the injured were taken to a nearby hospital.”

On the basis of Shivsagar’s complaint, the Bardoli police had booked the other bus driver under BNS 106(1) (Causing death by negligence), 125(a) (Act endangering life and personal safety of others), 125 (b) (grievous hurt is caused by endangering life and personal safety of others) and Motor Vehicle Act section 184, 177.

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“The accused bus driver, Magan Patil, who was driving the Dhule-Surat bus, has been undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bardoli. Once he fully recovers, we will arrest him,” Sengal said.