Water tanker hits auto in Mumbai, 1 killed, 1 injured

According to the Versova police, the accident took place on Saturday morning when the driver of the tanker lost control over the vehicle.

The Versova police on Saturday arrested the 40-year-old driver of a water tanker after it collided with an auto-rickshaw resulting in the death of the auto driver. A passer-by was critically injured in the accident.

The auto-rickshaw which was hit by the water tanker on JP Road in Versova on Saturday. (Samson Tupdal/HT)

The auto driver who was killed has been identified as Fariz Shaikh, 22, and the driver of the tanker has been identified as Akrabuddin Khalifa.

According to the Versova police, the accident took place on Saturday morning when the driver of the tanker lost control over the vehicle. “On JP Road, Versova, another auto-rickshaw overtook the tanker from the left side, and the driver claims that to save the auto-rickshaw, he tried to steer the vehicle to the right,” said an officer. Police said the tanker driver claimed that when he tried doing so, he lost control and banged into another auto-rickshaw ahead of it, killing the driver and critically injuring another auto driver, Abdul Mohammad, 45.

Eyewitnesses said the water tanker also rammed into a row of bikes parked in front of an eatery, before coming to a halt. Police sources said the auto-rickshaw driver suffered grievous injuries and succumbed to them. Mohammad was being treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a local hospital.

A case has been registered under sections 304 A, 279 and 338 of Indian Penal Code (IPC), said the officer. “The tanker driver came to us and a case was registered. To secure bail, he will have to go to the court. A team from Versova police station went to the spot and took the statements of the eyewitnesses,” he said.