AHMEDABAD, Dec 31: Nine people were killed and 28 others were injured in a collision between a SUV (sports utility vehicle) and a luxury bus in Gujarat's Navsari district early morning on Saturday.

The accident occurred on the Vesma Cross Road on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai National Highway-48 in Navsari at 3 am. Eight passengers and the driver of the speeding Toyota Fortuner died on the spot. The SUV was going to Ankleshwar from Valsad, while the bus was proceeding to Valsad in the opposite direction on the highway. According to a report, the driver and the passengers of the SUV were drunk. The SUV crashed into the bus on the in-coming lane, jumping the divider. The locals took the injured to Navsari and Valsad hospitals.

The SUV was reportedly carrying employees of a pharma company in Ankleshwar GIDC while the bus passengers were returning to Valsad after attending a Shatabdi Mahotsav of Swaminarayan at Ahmedabad.

The deceased have been identified as Nitin Patil (30, driver), Jaydeep Pethani (25), Jaydeep Godhani (24), Dharmesh Sheladiya (24), Jagdish Dudhat (35), Mayur Vavaiya (23), Navnit Bhadiyadara (39), Pragnesh Vekariya (23) and Ganesh Tandel (25).

"Pained by the loss of lives due to a road accident in Navsari. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I hope the injured recover soon. An ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. Those injured would be given Rs 50,000," the Prime Minister's Office said.