5 killed, 22 injured in accident on Pune-Bengaluru highway

The bus belonging to private operator Neeta Travels was coming from Kolhapur to Dombivali near Mumbai when it was hit by the truck that was carrying sugar bags

PUNE Five people lost their lives and 22 others sustained injuries in an accident near the Swami Narayan temple on the Pune-Bengaluru highway early Sunday morning.

According to police, the bus was hit by the truck from the rear. The incident was reported at 2.15am. (RAVINDRA JOSHI/ HT PHOTO)

The bus belonging to private operator Neeta Travels was coming from Kolhapur to Dombivali near Mumbai when it was hit by the truck that was carrying sugar bags. According to police, the bus was hit by the truck from the rear. The incident was reported at 2.15am.

The deceased have been identified as Ravindra Vasudev Korgaonkar, 46, resident of Dajipur in Kolhapur district; Suvarna Vasudev Korgaonkar, 85, resident of Dajipur in Kolhapur district; Nisha Pramod Bhaskar, 36, resident of Shastri Nagar in Kolhapur; Arun Gopinath Sawant, 54, resident of Maruti Pawar chawl, Kalyan East and Sanjay Sonu Gawali, 37, resident of Bapu residency in Ambernath.

“The deceased include three men and two women and the injured are being treated in hospital. We suspect the accident may have happened due to brake failure of the truck, but the exact reason will be ascertained only after a detailed investigation,” said Vijay Kumbhar, police inspector.

The stretch where the accident occurred is known as an accident-prone area with multiple incidents reported from here in the past. During the wee hours on Sunday, there were three accidents reported within three hours.

Upon receiving the information, four vehicle tenders, one rescue van from Pune fire brigade, and one rescue van from Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) were dispatched to the scene.

Gajanan Patrudkar, a fireman, said, “As soon as we received a call, our teams rushed to the spot. We rescued the victims by using hydraulic tools. The injured passengers were rushed to a nearby hospital.”

According to fire brigade officials, fuel oil and sugar from the truck scattered on the highway after the accident which was cleared by the fire brigade personnel.

The firemen broke the glass window of the passenger bus and rescued 18 injured passengers who were stuck inside. The injured were immediately taken to the hospital in seven ambulances.

Smartana Patil, deputy commissioner of police said, “Experts from the Regional Transport Office (RTO) will inspect the truck for any technical issues at the time of the accident and action will be taken accordingly.’’

Patil further added that a truck driver was also seriously injured in the incident and the process to register a case is in progress.

The accident caused traffic congestion on the highway for a brief period until the rescue operation was completed.