A major road accident near Hingatiya village on the Khedbrahma-Ambaji road in Gujarat’s Sabarkantha district claimed six lives, including that of a baby girl, and left nine others injured on Saturday afternoon.

The incident occurred when a state transport (ST) bus, a jeep and a motorcycle collided on the Ambaji-Vadodara state highway. According to police, the jeep and the bus first collided, following which a motorcycle carrying three riders crashed into the jeep.

A police official said that most of the victims were travelling in the jeep, which was severely damaged in the crash. The bus was en route to Vadodara from Ambaji in Banaskantha district, while the jeep was coming from the opposite direction.

Police and emergency services reached the scene soon after the accident and began rescue operations. The injured were rushed to Khedbrahma Civil Hospital, while some were later shifted to a hospital in Himmatnagar, the district headquarters.

Most of the deceased are believed to be local residents of Sabarkantha district. The cause of the collision is still under investigation.

In a similar incident, four people, including two girls aged three and four, died after a van hit a motorbike in Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district on Saturday afternoon, police said.