Shirdi accident: Six from three families in Ambernath killed

The Gondhale family lost two members- Pramila Gondhale, 45, and her daughter Diksha Gondhale,18. Pramila and her husband had come all the way from Ratnagiri to join the trip with her son, daughter, and other members of the family. A total of six members of the family had gone on the trip. The house at Morivali was closed as all of them had left for the temple

Three families from Ambernath village- the Ubales, Baraskars and Gondhales -lost their dear ones in the accident. All of them were on the way to the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple, an annual pilgrimage for these residents that turned into a tragic event. The family and friends of the accident victims share their pain...

The residents of Morivali village in Ambernath woke up to the shocking news of their family members dead or injured in the tragic accident of the bus that left for Shirdi shrine on Thursday night. What used to be an annual pilgrimage for these residents turned into a tragic one, killing six from the village. Among those killed on the spot were two members each of three families. (HT Photo)

Ubale Family

Naresh Ubale, 38, and his wife Vaishali, 32, died on the spot, while their two daughters Nidhi, 9, and Madhura, 6, suffered severe injuries.

Kishor Ubale, 40, brother of the deceased Naresh Ubale shared, “They went on the trip for the first time and the kids were excited about it. Friday morning when we came to know about the incident, I rushed to the spot. The two daughters have lost their parents now and I don’t know how to console them.”

Baraskar family

Shraddha Baraskar, 28, and her seven-year-old daughter Shravani died in the accident while her husband Suhas Baraskar, 32, and younger daughter Shivanya are injured and admitted to hospital.

Asha Nare, 37, a neighbour of Baraskars said, “Shraddha also asked me to go with her but I couldn’t. Her kids were like my kids - they used to play together. She was a close friend of mine and we chatted every day. I wish I had stopped her from going. She was not sure if she would travel, but when I called her on Thursday late at night, she had already left for the temple.”

The Gondhale family lost two members- Pramila Gondhale, 45, and her daughter Diksha Gondhale,18. Pramila and her husband had come all the way from Ratnagiri to join the trip with her son, daughter, and other members of the family. A total of six members of the family had gone on the trip. The house at Morivali was closed as all of them had left for the temple.

“The trip to Shirdi was arranged every year for the last 18 years and this is the first time such a tragedy has taken place. I was a part of the trip on another bus. It is an unfortunate incident and we all are in shock,” said Rajesh Walia, owner of Lakshmi Packaging.