A joyful journey to an engagement ceremony ended in tragedy when four young men lost their lives in a road accident near Valthera village on the Dholka-Bagodara Road.

According to police, the victims were travelling in a Scorpio SUV from Bareja to Bhamasara to attend the engagement of Gaurang Chunara, 19, on April 30. The vehicle, owned by Gaurang's uncle Rajesh, was being driven by Mahir at the time of the accident.

Gaurang was accompanied by his cousin Devang Dutt (25), a resident of Chandlodia, Prem Chunara (21), Narendra alias Nayan Solanki (17) and Sagar Solanki (19), all from Bareja and their friends Shubham, Adarsh, Hitul, and Mahir.

The group had briefly halted en route for sugarcane juice before resuming their journey. However, near Valthera village, a motorcycle rider allegedly made a sudden turn, forcing the driver to swerve. In the attempt to avoid a collision, Mahir lost control of the vehicle, which overturned and plunged into a nearby field.

Passersby rushed to the scene and rescued the occupants, who were trapped inside the mangled vehicle, and shifted them to a nearby hospital. Doctors on duty declared Devang, Prem, Nayan and Sagar dead due to severe injuries. The remaining occupants, Gaurang, Shubham, Adarsh, and Mahir, are currently undergoing treatment. The Koth Police Station has registered a case and initiated an investigation into the matter.

Second fatal mishap near Arnej

In a separate incident reported on the same day, a pickup truck driver lost his life in a collision near Arnej village. Police said Lala Gamara was driving a pickup vehicle when a speeding car reportedly jumped the divider and crashed into his vehicle. The impact left Gamara critically trapped between the steering wheel and the seat.