Mumbai News LIVE Updates: City reports 285 new Covid-19 cases

More than 59,000 people have died and 80,000 seriously injured in road accidents in Maharashtra in less than five years, the data released by the highway police revealed on Tuesday. The state has witnessed 59,308 deaths in road accidents since the beginning of 2018, including 9,121 fatalities reported between January and July this year, it stated.As per the data, at least 13,261 people died in road crashes in 2018, 12,788 in 2019, 11,569 in 2020 and 13,528 in 2021. The road casualties have come into focus after the recent high-profile accidents witnessed on state roads.

A 19-year-old man set himself on fire while quarrelling with his girlfriend during a video call at his house in suburban Santacruz here, police said on Tuesday. The victim Sagar Parshuram Jadhav sustained 30 per cent burns and was undergoing treatment at a hospital, an official from Vakola police station said.According to the police, Jadhav was having an argument with his girlfriend over the phone about her taking a particular road after visiting a Ganpati pandal late on Monday night.

Teachers in Maharashtra's Latur district tied black ribbons to their arms to register their protest against the 'Aaple Guruji Abhiyan' (my teacher initiative) launched by the state education department, an official said on Tuesday. Educators who were part of the Congress' teachers unit registered their protest during the Teachers' Day celebrations in the district on Monday.Under the Aaple Guruji Abhiyan, the education department has directed schools to put up photos of teachers in the classrooms.

Shiv Sena MP Krupal Tumane of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led faction on Tuesday announced the appointment of office-bearers for the east Vidarbha region. Addressing a press conference here, the MP from Ramtek said that Shinde was keeping a good watch over Vidarbha and is working to strengthen the fold in the region.

Former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry, who died in a car accident, was cremated in Mumbai on Tuesday. The last rites were performed as per Hindu customs in an electric crematorium at Worli in central Mumbai. Mistry, 54, who headed the salt-to-software conglomerate Tata Sons from 2012-16 before an unceremonious exit, and his friend Jahangir Pandole were killed in a road accident in neighbouring Palghar district of Maharashtra on Sunday afternoon.

Palghar police in Maharashtra have obtained the CCTV footage of the Mercedes car in which former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry was travelling to Mumbai, shortly before it crashed, killing him and his friend, an official said. The footage shows the car passing through the Dapchari check post in Palghar district at 2.21 pm on Sunday, he said. The car hit a road divider on a bridge over the Surya river on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway at around 3 pm, killing Mistry (54) and his friend Jahangir Pandole, who were on the back seats.

The deaths of former Tata Group chairman Cyrus Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole were caused by “severe head trauma and multiple external and internal injuries to vital organs”, their autopsies found. They died almost instantly after the car crash on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway on Sunday. The remains of Mistry and Pandole were brought to the state-run JJ Hospital from Kasa sub-district hospital in Palghar around midnight on Monday. The authorities confirmed that the autopsies were completed by 2. 30am. “Their remains have been kept in the mortuary. The families have communicated that they will be collecting the bodies before the final rites on Tuesday,” said the official communication. While the hospital didn’t give any details on the autopsy findings, sources said a provisional report has been prepared. Mistry suffered a head injury, which led to a haemorrhage (heavy bleeding), besides a severe chest injury. “Both of them suffered from multiple trauma and had injuries in the head, chest and limbs. There were injuries to vital organs, which can cause instant death,” said a source.

A preliminary report on the accident that killed former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry and his friend Jehangir Pandole on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway at Charoti in Palghar district mentions overspeeding and an error of judgement as reasons for the crash. Konkan Range inspector general of police Sanjay Mohite on Monday submitted the interim report to the state director general of police Rajneesh Seth. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had on Sunday ordered a high-level inquiry into the accident. A senior official told TOI that the condition of the SUV indicates it could have been travelling at 130-140 kmph. The official said the manufacturer, Mercedes Benz, will be consulted to assess exact speed at the time of the accident. “The impact was so huge that the radiator of the vehicle was not only completely smashed, it was pushed at least two to three feet inside,” the official said. A senior police officer said the maximum speed limit set on the highway in the Palghar district stretch is 80 kmph (it is otherwise 100 kmph on national highways). He said even if the car was at 90 kmph, it would be a case of overspeeding.

The mortal remains of Cyrus Mistry will be taken to the Worli crematorium on Tuesday morning. The funeral has been scheduled for 11am. The family has requested that no condolence visits be made. Jehangir Pandole, 49, who was the other victim in the car crash, will have a traditional Zoroastrian funeral at the Doongerwadi Towers of Silence, Malabar Hill, on Tuesday evening.

Maharashtra on Monday reported 549 fresh Covid-19 cases and three fatalities, taking the tally to 81,05,403 and the toll to 1,48,267, a state health department official said.