Mumbai: Auto driver killed, another injured in collision with tanker

The mangled auto in Versova on Saturday. (Express Photo)

An auto-rickshaw driver was killed and another seriously injured after a water tanker crashed into their parked vehicles in Versova early on Saturday morning. The accident took place at 4.15 am at the Versova end of JP Road, where a number of auto-rickshaws were parked by the roadside. The police said a water tanker heading towards Versova village suddenly swerved towards the parked vehicles.

“An auto-rickshaw suddenly cut ahead in front of the tanker. The driver of the tanker tried to avoid hitting the auto-rickshaw and turned sharply to the left where he crashed into the parked vehicles,” said Kiran Kale, senior inspector, Versova police station.

Auto-rickshaw drivers Asgar Khilafa (40) and Abdul Mohammad (45) were chatting inside one of the auto-rickshaws when the collision took place, the police said. Both men were rushed to Cooper Hospital, where Khilafa was declared dead on arrival, while Mohammed has been admitted to the ICU with severe injuries, Kale said. Both men live in Versova village.

The police arrested the driver of the tanker Farid Rohan Ali Shaikh (22) and booked him with rash driving and causing death due to negligence under the Indian Penal Code.