The deceased were warkaris (devotees of Lord Vitthal) who were on their way to Pandharpur for the Ashadhi Ekadashi celebrations from their hometown Dombivli near Mumbai, police said.
Thousands of devotees have set off towards Pandharpur in the state for the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi tomorrow. However, a severe accident occurred on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway around 1 am involving a travel bus carrying devotees. A tractor collided forcefully with a bus traveling from Dombivli to Pandharpur, resulting in five fatalities and several injuries.
Upon receiving information about the incident, highway police arrived at the scene, and rescue operations have stated. The injured have been rushed to the hospital. The names of the deceased have not yet been identified.
VIDEO | Maharashtra: Atleast five people lost their lives and several got injured after the bus they were travelling in plunged into a ditch on Mumbai-Pune expressway.
“The incident occurred last night at around 1 am on Mumbai-Pune Express Highway. Around 84 people were… pic.twitter.com/KzZiODOuzy
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 16, 2024
Details On The Accident
According to the information, a group of devotees from Dombivli were travelling to Pandharpur by a travel bus. There were 54 devotees on the bus, travelling at night. Around 1 am, while the bus was on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway heading towards Pandharpur, a tractor ahead of the bus was speeding. The driver of the travel bus lost control suddenly and collided with the tractor, causing the bus to fall into a 30 to 40 feet deep ditch. Five people died in the accident, and 20 to 25 people were injured. Some of the injured are reported to be in critical condition.