MUMBAI: Eleven people were killed, while one was seriously injured, after two vehicles collided with each other on Monday near Kalyan in the Thane district of Maharashtra.
A Maruti Eeco taxi van carrying passengers collided head-on with a cement mixer vehicle on the Kalyan–Ahlayanagar National Highway, killing 11 people on the spot, including three women. One person sustained critical injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital. The accident occurred on the Raita bridge in Govili village in the Murbad area of Thane.
The deceased have been identified as Bablue Rupesh Chandane, Bhushan Ghorpade, Jija Govinda Kembar, Anant Pawar, Deepak Gavil, Ganpat Jainu Madhe, Sneha Mohape, Manasi Mohape, and Prathamesh Mohape.
The passenger van was completely crushed after colliding with the cement mixer. The vehicle was carrying a family travelling from Murbad to Kalyan, with a total of 12 passengers on board. Post-mortem examinations are being carried out by doctors.
Following the incident, police and rescue teams rushed to the spot and, with the help of local residents, retrieved the bodies from the severely damaged vehicle. The exact cause of the accident is yet to be ascertained by the authorities.
Traffic on the bridge was temporarily disrupted but was later restored after police cleared the damaged vehicles and debris.
The van was reportedly carrying 12 passengers against its authorised capacity of six (five plus one), a violation that often leads to vehicle imbalance.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed grief. In a post on X, he wrote, "At least 11 people were killed in a tragic road accident on the Kalyan-Ahilyanagar National Highway." He conveyed condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for peace for the departed souls. Fadnavis said that an investigation into the accident has been initiated, and the incident will be properly probed.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said that there is rampant corruption, which has led to violations of several norms and caused the accidents. He said that the transport minister, Pratap Sarnaik, himself speaks about the commission, so he should take the moral responsibility for this accident and step down for a fair probe.