Sub-Inspector B V Bharwad of the Shehra police station said the accident occurred around 7.15 am when the transport vehicle (GJ17- W 249) turned from a dhaba near Tadva village towards Godhra on the state highway.

“The truck was travelling at a high speed despite fog,” he said.

He added that Chandra Patel, the son of Surelia Police officer Dilip Patel, who was driving the vehicle, was killed on the spot.

Sources in Shehra also confirmed that the vehicle belonged to a police officer of the area.

Eyewitnesses said there were 15 people on board the vehicle at the time of the accident and the bodies were strewn across the road. “Most of the victims received head injuries. The impact was severe,” said Godhra Civil Hospital Superintendent Dr L M Chandana.