7 youths from Mumbai die in accident near Ratnagiri on Mumbai-Goa highway, one injured
The wreckage of the Xylo SUV after the accident
In a trafic incident, seven youths from Mumbai were killed and one injured when their vehicle rammed into a tree in Ratnagiri district on the Mumbai-Goa highway on Wednesday morning.
The incident occurred around 7.30 am when the Xylo SUV with eight persons was enroute from Mumbai to Goa.
The driver apparently lost control of the speeding vehicle and rammed into a wayside tree near the Khanu village, killing the seven occupants instantly, said S.K. Gavkhadkar, an official from Ratnagiri police control.
The occupants, hailing from Mumbai suburbs of Vile Parle, Andheri, Malad and Mulund.
The deceased have been identified as Prashant Gurav (31), Sachin Sawant (31), Mayur Pednekar (28), Kedar Todkar (26), Akshay Kelkar (24), Nihal Kotian (22) and Vaibhav Manve (32).
Abhishek Kamble (23), the sole survivor, has been admitted to Ratnagiri civil hospital in a critical condition, Gavkhadkar added. He has, since then, been shifted to a private hospital in the vicinity.
The cause of the accident is being investigated and the families of the deceased youths have been informed, she said.
All eight passengers were friends and part of social group ‘Lakshya’. They had left for their trip on Tuesday night and had planned to return on Sunday.
The Mumbai-Goa highway has earned the sobriquet of ‘killer highway’ in view of the spate of accidents that occur there frequently and there are demands to make it wider and safer.
With agency inputs
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