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Six kids among 9 of family killed as car plunges into well in Maharashtra's Nashik
Nine family members, including six children, died when their vehicle fell into an unprotected well in Nashik, prompting investigations and compensation offers.
Pune/Nashik: Nine members of a family, including six children, died after their vehicle plunged into an unprotected roadside well in Shivajinagar area of Dindori town in Nashik district, police said on Saturday.
The victims were travelling in a multi-utility vehicle (MUV) when it fell into a nearly 25-metre-deep well filled with water on Friday night, said police, adding that the vehicle submerged completely, trapping all occupants inside.
“The incident took place around 10.30 pm when the victims were returning home after attending a get-together organised by a private coaching institute in Dindori town. All were residents of Indore village in the tehsil, which is around six kilometres from Dindori,” Nashik district collector Ayush Prasad said.
According to Prasad, the accident occurred in a residential layout with row houses on both sides of a concrete road. The well, located on private land along the roadside, had no adequate safety barrier.
“The cement wall around the well was too low. The driver appears to have missed it in the dark, and the vehicle went straight in,” the collector said.
Police teams, along with fire brigade personnel and locals, carried out a rescue operation. Two cranes were deployed to pull out the submerged vehicle, while local swimmers assisted in retrieving the bodies, said Dindori police inspector Bhagwan Mathure.
“After over two hours, the vehicle was brought out, and by around 1 AM all nine bodies were recovered and sent to a government hospital, where doctors declared them brought dead,” Mathure added.
The deceased were identified as Sunil Dargode (32), the driver, his wife Reshma (27), Asha Dargode (32), and six children from the family, including five girls in the age group of seven to 14 years and an 11-year-old boy.
Inspector Mathure said, “We have registered two FIRs under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). One is against the owner of the well, Rajendra Raje, under section 324(5) for failing to provide adequate safety measures, such as a protective wall or fencing, around the well, which is located close to a busy road. The second FIR has been filed against deceased Sunil Dargode, for alleged rash and negligent driving.”
The Nashik district administration has ordered a probe to determine whether the well had the required permissions and why it remained open despite being close to a thoroughfare.
Officials said questions are also being raised about how the well continued to exist at the site. Mathure said the local civic body had earlier asked the owner to close it.
“The well was dug over 30 years ago for agricultural use. Action to close it has now begun,” he said.
Dindori nagar panchayat chief officer Sandeep Chaudhari said the housing layout in the area was approved in 2004 by the town planning department. “We have sought details of the approval to understand how such a structure remained within the layout,” he said.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh for each of the deceased.
“The accident is extremely painful and heart-wrenching. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families,” he said in a post on X.
State minister Girish Mahajan and local MLA and minister Narhari Zirwal visited the village and met the families. Deputy chief minister Sunetra Pawar also expressed condolences.
Local residents said they were aware of the well and navigated the stretch cautiously. “We heard sirens and rushed out. The vehicle was already submerged, and there was little we could do,” said a resident.
