Bus rams into tractor on Mum-Pune expressway; 5 dead, 46 injured

Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced ₹5 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased and free treatment for the injured

Navi Mumbai:

The speeding bus driver attempted to overtake the tractor but lost control, resulting in a collision. The impact caused the tractor to skid 100 feet and split in two. (HT PHOTO)

An accident on the Mumbai-Pune expressway claimed five lives and left 46 injured, with seven in critical condition, when a bus carrying 54 people collided with a tractor and plunged into a ditch shortly after midnight on Tuesday. Chief minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday announced ₹5 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased and free treatment for the injured.

The bus passengers, devotees of Lord Vitthal known as Warkaris, were en route to Pandharpur from Kalyan and Dombivli for the Ashadhi Ekadashi festival. The incident occurred approximately 5.5 kilometres along the Pune-bound lane of the expressway in the Panvel area.

According to police reports, a tractor driven by Tarvez Salauddin Ahmed, 28, from Uttar Pradesh, was travelling in the expressway’s first lane when a speeding luxury bus, operated by Sanjay Patil, 54, approached from behind. Tractors are prohibited on the expressway.

The speeding bus driver attempted to overtake the tractor but lost control, resulting in a collision. The impact caused the tractor to skid 100 feet and split in two. The bus crashed through the left-side railing and toppled into a 10-15 foot ditch.

Ahmed and Deepak Sohan Rajbhar, 30, who was travelling with him were killed instantly. Three bus passengers—Gurunath Babu Patil, 70, Ramdas Narayan Mukadam, 70, and Hansabai Hari Patil, 65 — all from Dombivli also died at the spot.

Seven passengers sustained critical injuries. These include Baburao Dharma Bhoir, 70, Mama Pogya Bhoir, 70, Ganpat Salunkhe, 60, Sanjay Bapurao Patil, 63, and Suman Salunkhe, 60. An additional 39 passengers suffered minor injuries, while five emerged unscathed. The bus driver Patil and the bus cleaner Akram Shaikh are among the injured.

Navi Mumbai deputy commissioner of police (zone II) Vivek Pansare stated, “Five persons died in the accident, including two travelling in the tractor and three in the bus. There were 54 people in the bus from Dombivli and Kalyan areas going towards Pandharpur. Forty-three injured passengers were sent to MGM hospital in Kamothe, and three to a government hospital. Five bus passengers escaped without any injury.”

Pansare added, “Both the accused in the case, Ahmed and Rajbhar died on the spot. We are thoroughly investigating the unfortunate accident. All aspects will be inquired into, and necessary action taken. We will also take measures to prevent similar accidents in future.”

Traffic was restored on the expressway after a three-hour delay, when the highway traffic police, IRB patrolling, CIDCO fire brigade, and local police cleared the accident-hit vehicles using a crane.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde, who visited the injured passengers at MGM hospital in Kamothe, said, “This is a very tragic and unfortunate incident. These Warkaris have been going to Pandharpur for years. They told me they survived the ghastly accident due to Lord Vitthal’s blessings.” The chief minister announced ₹5 lakh compensation for the kin of the deceased and treatment of all those injured at government cost.

One of the survivors, 25-year-old Dayanand Bhoir from Nilje village near Dombivli, said around 200 people from his village had left for Pandharpur in six buses at around 11pm on Monday.

“The bus was speeding. We had just finished chanting and the senior citizens were asleep. We don’t really know what happened but there was a sudden crash and we ended up in the ditch,” recounted Bhoir. “I thought I would die when the bus turned over and collapsed. We broke the window panes to get out.” Bhoir said passengers from the other buses which were behind theirs came to their rescue.

Many of the passengers had been going for the pilgrimage to Pandharpur for more than 20 years, said Nilje resident Rajaram Patil, son of the deceased Hansabai Hari, 65. Preparations begin a week in advance, and the subsidised rate for food and transport for Warkaris is ₹1,200, he said.

“All residents from our village go for the wari every year, and this year was no different. Although I have never personally visited Pandharpur, my mother wouldn’t heed my advice to stay back. So, like every year, I ensured that she was prepared for the journey,” said Patil.

At 1:30am on Wednesday, he received a call informing him about the deadly accident, following which he rushed to the hospital. “When I reached there, I discovered that she had passed away. I am overwhelmed with sorrow and can’t express it in words,” he said.

Ramdas Mukadam, 70, a resident of Nevali, who passed away, had been eagerly looking forward to visiting Pandharpur for the last 10 years, said his grandson, Pranav. “I was worried when he insisted on going for the wari. But I didn’t want to deter him since it was his heartfelt wish. His death has deeply shaken us,” he said.

Gurunath Sathelkar, a volunteer with the nonprofit group Apghat Grast Madati Sathi which rescues accident victims, was among the first to reach the accident site with 30 other team members. “The rescue was difficult due to the sludge and darkness in the area. However, we managed to retrieve the passengers through the windows with the help of various authorities,” he said.

Mandar Ghodke, owner of Khanderay Travel, Kalyan said five buses had departed from Nilje village near Dombivli on Monday night for Pandharpur. “The accident involving one of our buses was tragic, primarily caused by the tractor and possibly the highway authorities,” he said.

Ghodke stated it was concerning that the authorities had failed to notice the tractor plying on the expressway even though three-wheelers and two-wheelers are not allowed on it. “There was also an unexpected diversion on the expressway where the tractor driver tried to stop suddenly and take a turn, causing the bus to veer off the road near the pipeline,” he said.