In yet another unfortunate tragedy, 12 people lost their lives while 23 others were injured after a speeding mini-bus rammed a container on the Samruddhi Expressway in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, previously known as Aurangabad.
The incident happened around 12:30 am on Sunday in the Vaijapur area of the Samruddhi Expressway, nearly 350 km from Mumbai. According to police officials, the bus driver lost his control, causing the accident. The container was on the opposite side of the mini-bus that was carrying 35 passengers. After losing control over his already speeding bus, the driver rammed into the container from the rear side.
Victims identified
The passengers in the vehicle were a group of pilgrims who were travelling from Nashik to Sailani Baba Teerth Dargah (pilgrimage site) located in Buldhana, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. After their darshan to the said site on Saturday, they were returning back to Nashik when the accident took place.
Out of the 12 people who died, five were men. They have been identified as Deepak Prabhakar (47), Amol Gangurde (18), Milind Pagare (50), Ratan Jamdade (45) and Jhumbar Gangurde (50). The deceased six women are Sangeeta Asbale (40), Anjabai Jagtab (38), Kajal Solse (32), Rajni Tapase (32), Sareeta Gangurde (40) and Hasubai Shirsaat (70). The deceased 5-year-old girl is identified as Tanushree Solse. The victims reportedly died during receiving treatment at the hospital. All of them hail from Pathardi and Indiranagar areas in Nashik.
Injured passenger undergoing treatment
Meanwhile, the one injured are currently undergoing treatment at the Valley Hospital in the same district. Six people, who have sustained minor injuries are sent to a rural hospital in Vaijapur for treatment, informed the police.
The driver, who also has sustained injuries told the cops that the container came from the opposite side, and since he couldn't handle the wheels, it collided with it heads on, said officials from Highway Traffic Police.
Police records statements
By Sunday evening, police started recording statements of all parties involved thus initiating the process of registering a first information report (FIR) in the matter.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X (Twitter) condoling the incident, “Pained by the loss of lives due to an accident in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. I wish the injured a speedy recovery. An ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.”
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directed a probe into the incident and announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased.
