5 friends die after tempo rams into their stalled van at Mumbai-Pune expressway, driver flees
The friends were pushing the van when the tempo rammed into them (Picture Courtesy: Kushal Saha)
Five out of a group of eight friends, en route Pune via the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, died after a tempo rammed into their vehicle near Panvel early morning today.
The group, all residents of Mankhurd, was travelling from Mumbai to Pune to attend a wedding.
Around 5 am, their car broke down near Adai village, a few kilometers before Kalamboli on the expressway, following which they started pushing it to a garage.
While the group was pushing their vehicle, a Maruti Omni van, a speeding tempo came from behind and crashed into them.
According to officials from Kamothe police station, three persons were killed on the spot. Two others succumbed to their injuries while they were being rushed to MGM hospital in Kamothe.
The deceased were identified as Juman Shaikh (45), Santosh Prajapati (40), Dinesh Jaiswal (30), Ayodhya Yadav (26) and Rashid Khan (24).
Ramchandra Yadav, who was slightly away from the point of impact, also sustained injuries. He is currently receiving treatment at MGM hospital. Mundrika Jaiswal (36) and Sanjay Rajbhar (28) were reportedly walking ahead of the car and escaped unhurt.
The driver of the tempo fled the spot immediately following the incident. Police have booked him under relevant sections of the IPC and Motor Vehicle Act, and are currently trying to trace his whereabouts.
Earlier this month, Akshay Wasnik, a TCS employee from Thane, was killed after his car rammed into the divider on the Mumbai-Pune expressway. In a similar incident, Andheri resident Ram Dhavre died after a tempo rammed into his car on Panvel highway.
