MUMBAI: Ten pilgrims died while 13 others were injured in an accident on the Mumbai-Agra highway near Nashik. The mishap took place near Chandwad early morning Thursday, when a minibus carrying 22 passengers back to Ulhasnagar from a pilgrimage of Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, rammed into a sand truck after its front tyre burst suddenly. The deceased include seven men, two women and a minor boy.
According to sources, the accident took place near Chandwad’s Adgaon village, at Sogras Phata on the Mumbai-Agra national highway at 5.50am on Thursday, when the Sai Travels bus (MH-05-CK-357) was on its way back from Ujjain. The group, staying in the Kalyan-Ulhasnagar belt, visited Omkareshwar temple in Ujjain earlier this week, and started its return journey from Ujjain at 9.30pm on Friday.
An official said that when the bus was near Adgaon village, its tyre burst following which, the driver lost control over the vehicle and rammed into a sand truck which was also stationary since it had a a punctured tyre.
A police source said, “The accident was so massive, that 10 persons were killed on the spot, while 13 others were injured. Of those injured, five are said to be in a critical state. The injured are recuperating in the civic-run Chandwad Civil Hospital in Nashik.”
The 10 who died on the spot have been identified as: Baba Chavan (58), Lakshmibai Parmar (65), Kau Chavan (48), Jagruti Ghavri (35), Gunjan Valodra (24), Pawan Ghavri (7), Nisha Ghavri (16), Geeta Parmar (45), Prakash Ghavri (45) and Geeta Parmar (40).
The 13 injured persons have been identified as: Geeta Vasoda (38), Radhi Rathod (40), Jamuna Chavan (70), Manju Gujrati (31), Pragati Gujrati (60), Kaushik Ghav (14), Bindiya Gujrati (60), Dhanu Parmar (66), Vasu Dumayya (54), Brijesh Malhotra (20), Ajay Malhotra (45), driver Kisan Pathak, and truck cleaner Punam Malicha.
Inspector Anant Mohite said, “"The families of the deceased and injured have been informed, and they will reach here by evening,” he said.
