A devastating accident occurred early Tuesday morning on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, resulting in the deaths of five pilgrims and injuring 35 others.
The private bus, carrying 54 pilgrims from Dombivli to Pandharpur for the Ashadhi Ekadashi celebrations, collided with a tractor.
The incident took place near Lonavala around 1 AM as the bus was traveling at a high speed.
According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Vivek Pansare, the bus crashed into the tractor before plunging into a ditch approximately 35-40 feet deep.
Tragically, five pilgrims lost their lives in the crash, while 35 others sustained injuries, some of them serious.
Rescue teams promptly transported the injured to hospitals in Panvel and Lonavala for urgent medical care.
Authorities have identified the deceased as Hosabai Patil, Ramdas N Mukadam, and Gurunath Patil, while two victims remain unidentified.
Emergency response teams, including highway and local police, swiftly arrived at the scene.
Rescue teams later retrieved the damaged bus from the ditch using a crane and worked to extricate the injured trapped inside.
Authorities are currently investigating how a slow-moving vehicle like a tractor, which is prohibited on the highway, ended up on the busy Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
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