Yavatmal: Eleven persons on way to Nanded gurdwara were killed when a truck rammed a Tavera SUV on Bori–Tuljapur stretch of the national highway near Kosdani village in Arni tehsil of Yavatmal in the wee hours of Friday.
Ten passengers of the SUV , including five minors, three women and the driver, were killed on the spot. Two of the critically injured were rushed to Yavatmal GMCH where doctors declared one as brought dead. The lone survivor, a minor girl, has been shifted to Nagpur GMCH and has been put on ventilator at the trauma care centre.
According to an FIR lodged with Arni police by one Balvindersingh Mehre, a resident of Batala of Gurdaspur district in Punjab, he and his relatives had come to Nagpur to attend marriage of his uncle’s daughter on May 29. After the marriage ceremony, many in the marriage party decided to visit Nanded gurdwara and hired 3 SUVs and left Nagpur at 10pm on Thursday. At about 4.50am on Friday when the SUV (MH20/CH-3588) was passing through a ghat near Kosdani, a truck (MH 04/FU-9422), coming from opposite direction and being driven wrong side, rammed the vehicle head-on. The impact left the SUV into a mangled heap of metal.
The occupants of the other two SUVs noticed the accident and informed the police. Yavatmal superintendent of police M Rajkumar rushed to the accident site and supervised the panchnama. Rajkumar said, “The truck was apparently being driven on the wrong lane of the road.”
The deceased were identified as: Kunal Tarsamlal Mehre (16), Neelam Tarsemlal Mehre (45), both residents of Sonia Vihar, New Delhi, Kiran Tilakraj Sathyale (44), Shivani Tilakraj Sathyale (12), Tilakraj Vilayatiram Sathyale (50), all residents of Khajuri Khas, New Delhi, Banarasilal Balwantram Mehre (60), Thoshi Banarasilal Mehre (55), both residents of Karnal, Haryana, Shraddha alias Dimple Paramjeet Mali (13), Simran Paramjeet Mali (8), both residents of Pardi Kapsi, Nagpur, and driver Vikas Bhoyar, a resident of Memon Colony in Nagpur.
Two girls, Kiran Baljeetsingh Mehre, a resident of Sarne, Pathankot in Punjab and Neha Tarsamlal Mehre (17), a resident of Sonia Vihar, New Delhi, were rushed to Yavatmal GMCH where doctors declared Kiran brought dead. Neha, who sustained grievous injuries on head, was referred to Nagpur GMCH where she has been put on vetilator support.
The truck driver, who fled from the spot, has been booked under relevant sections of the IPC and police station officer Ravindranath Bhandare is investigating the matter further.
