At least 11 people were killed and 20 others injured after a tempo carrying guests to an engagement ceremony collided with a speeding container truck on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Monday, police said.
The accident took place near Dhaniwari village in Dahanu taluka around 4 pm, officials said.
According to police, the Eicher tempo was carrying more than 50 passengers and was headed to the engagement ceremony of one Balaram Jairam Dandekar, a resident of Bapugaon Khadkipada village.
Authorities said the injured were shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment, while further investigation into the accident is underway.
"A total of 11 persons died and 20 others were injured in the ghastly accident. The injured have been rushed to the Kasa Upazila Hospital and other nearby medical facilities for treatment," Senior Inspector Amar Patil of the Kasa police station told PTI.
According to police, the impact of the collision was so severe that both the tempo and the container overturned on the spot, trapping several passengers underneath the vehicles.
Preliminary investigations suggest the tempo was carrying passengers way beyond its capacity. Excessive speed, a narrow stretch of the road, and the tempo driver losing control of the vehicle are suspected to be the primary causes behind the crash.
While five passengers died on the spot, six others succumbed to their injuries later. The fatality count could rise further as the condition of several injured passengers remains critical, police said.
Following the crash, chaotic scenes were witnessed on the busy highway as local residents, police personnel, and rescue teams rushed to the spot to extricate the victims from the mangled remains of the vehicles.
The tragedy turned the festive atmosphere of the engagement into a state of grief for the families involved.
Police have registered a case and initiated a thorough probe.
(With inputs from PTI)
