At least nine people were killed after a tempo hit their minivan, after which it rammed into a stationary bus on the Pune-Nashik Highway on Friday. The incident occurred around 10 am near Narayangaon.
Superintendent of Police (SP), Pune Rural, Pankaj Deshmukh, told PTI that the minivan was heading towards Narayangaon when a tempo hit the vehicle from behind. This caused the minivan to ram into an empty parked bus on the side of the road.
He added that all nine occupants of the van were killed in the accident.
Deshmukh added that further details were awaited.
Reacting to the incident, Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis wrote on X, "The tragic incident of the death of 9 workers in a horrific accident near Narayangaon on the Pune-Nashik highway is very unfortunate. I pay my heartfelt tributes to them. We share the grief of their families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured. Financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh will be provided to the heirs of the deceased from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. I have told the Pune Superintendent of Police to take proper care of the treatment of the injured."
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This comes a day after three people, including two women, were killed while 14 others were injured after a speeding container truck crashed into a private bus on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway near Shahapur in the early hours of Wednesday.
According to The Indian Express, the truck was travelling from Nashik to Mumbai, crossed the highway divider and collided with two oncoming vehicles and a luxury bus parked along the roadside.
Three persons – two women and one man – died on the spot. Eight people sustained serious injuries, they were rushed to a nearby hospital with the help of locals.
The deceased were identified as, Piyush Patil and Vrinda Patil, residents of Amalner in Jalgaon district who were returning to Badlapur from Jalgaon. Piyush was employed with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), while Vrinda was a trainee teacher. They were travelling with their five-year-old daughter who was injured.
Local police and rescue teams rushed to the scene and the injured were taken to nearby hospitals, as per the news outlet.