Four women died and 23 others were injured after a vehicle hit a group of warkaris walking towards the temple town of Alandi on the occasion of Kartiki Ekadashi, near Kanhe Phata in Sate Gaon on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, in the early hours of Saturday.
Police have identified the deceased as Savita Yeram (55), Jayshri Pawar (54), Vimal Chorghe (50) and Sangita Shinde (56), all residents of Raigad district.
Police said a group of ‘warkaris’ from Khopoli, Karjat and Umbre in Raigad district were walking towards Alandi as part of the ‘Warkari Dindi’ of the Mauli Krupa Trust. Around 7 am, the driver of a pick-up van lost control of the vehicle, which rammed the warkaris at a spot near Kanhe Phata.
On receiving information, a team of Pune Rural Police rushed to the spot. The injured warkaris were taken to various hospitals, but four of them died while undergoing treatment. The driver of the pick-up van has been detained and an offence of negligent driving lodged at the Vadgaon Maval police station.
Superintendent of Pune Rural Police Abhinav Deshmukh, MLA Sunil Shelke and former minister Bala Bhegade visited the accident spot and hospitals where the injured have been admitted.
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