2 dead, 8 hurt as tanker hits Qualis

Tragedy struck the Shinde family at Vashi on Friday morning as a tanker crashed into the Qualis in which they were travelling.

Tragedy struck the Shinde family at Vashi on Friday morning as a tanker crashed into the Qualis in which they were travelling.

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Pranali (16) and Meenal Shinde (15), both Class 11 students, were killed on the spot.

The tanker, driven by Shaukat Ali Khan (30), hit several other vehicles as well. Khan has been arrested.

The rest of the Shinde family and the Qualis’ driver were admitted to hospital.

The Shindes, residents of the Tardeo’s police colony, and some friends were en route to the Lord Khandoba temple in Jejuri.

In the car were Head Constable Prakash Shinde (46), his wife Sunita (38), daughters Swapnali (18), Pranali and Meenal (15), son Prajwal (10) and his friends Sanjay Nirgude (36), Devavrat Pawar (20) and Siddhart Aswalkar (30), who was driving.

According to Pawar, who escaped unhurt, “We left home at 6.45 am. As we reached the Vashi toll naka, we stopped as there were tempos ahead of us. All of a sudden, the chemical tanker crashed into the Qualis from behind.”

The impact was so great that the Qualis was reduced to a mass of mangled metal. A gas cutter had to be used to cut through the metal and extricate the victims.

Prakash, Swapnali, Nirgude and Aswalkar were admitted to MGM Hospital in Vashi. Sunita, who was hurt on the chest, is in critical condition.

The tanker also hit three tempos and a motorcycle. The tempos’ drivers, Ganesh Suryavanshi and Uma Shankar Yadav, along with the motorcyclist, Arif Kazi, were admitted to the Vashi civic hospital.

Senior Police Inspector Raosaheb Sardesai, of the Vashi police, said: “Khan said the tanker’s brakes failed, which is why he lost control of the vehicle.”