‘Nobody knew what had happened’: MSRTC driver’s family waited hours for news of Surat bus crash | Mumbai News
3 min readMumbaiJun 4, 2026 07:00 AM IST
The family of MSRTC driver Ghanshyam Barkale, 43, first learned he had died in Tuesday’s Surat bus accident through social media messages. They waited hours before depot officials confirmed the news.
“We came across messages about the accident on social media. Nobody knew exactly what had happened. It was only around 6 pm that officials from the depot informed us that Ghanshyam had died,” said his cousin, Shrikant Barkale.
Barkale’s body was identified soon after the accident and handed over to relatives late Tuesday night. He was cremated Wednesday morning in his native village in Maharashtra’s Jalgaon district. He had been serving at the Jamner MSRTC depot since 2013, was the sole earning member of his family, and is survived by his parents, wife, a 16-year-old daughter and a 12-year-old son.
Several other families affected by the accident are still waiting. Some victims’ bodies were severely charred, and authorities have sent the remains for DNA testing, delaying identification and handover. Family members have reached Surat and provided DNA samples, but with identification incomplete in several cases, they remain unable to begin funeral rites.
MSRTC driver Ghanshyam Barkale
The accident, involving two MSRTC buses on National Highway-53 near Bardoli in Gujarat’s Surat district, claimed seven lives and injured around 40 passengers. Twenty-six remain hospitalised in Surat and Bardoli.
According to officials, the accident occurred around 4 pm on Tuesday when a Surat-Dhule MSRTC bus allegedly rammed into the rear of a tractor carrying a water tanker. The impact reportedly caused the driver to lose control, after which the bus crossed the road divider and collided head-on with an oncoming Jamner-Surat bus, which overturned and fell into a roadside ditch. All seven fatalities occurred in the Jamner-Surat bus.
A preliminary MSRTC report held the driver of the Surat-Dhule bus responsible, citing failure to follow traffic regulations. The driver remains hospitalised with multiple injuries.
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The family owns agricultural land but relatives said it doesn’t generate sufficient income. They’ve sought government assistance, including employment support for Barkale’s wife. Officials from the Jamner and Dhule depots visited after the accident and assured them of support.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for families of those killed and Rs 50,000 for the injured. State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik announced additional compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the next of kin of each deceased passenger and free medical treatment for the injured.
