At least 13 people lost their lives and around 20 others were injured after a tempo carrying guests to an engagement ceremony met with a devastating accident on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Monday evening. The accident took place near Dhanivari village when the passenger tempo was hit by a speeding container trailer, triggering a major tragedy that has shocked the state.
Tempo carrying family guests hit by trailer
According to preliminary information, the Eicher tempo was carrying around 30 to 40 passengers who were travelling for a family engagement function. At around 4 pm, the vehicle was moving along the Mumbai-Gujarat route when a container trailer coming from the opposite direction reportedly rammed into the left side of the tempo with great force.
Officials said a motorcycle also came under the impact during the collision.
Rescue teams rush to spot
Soon after the crash, police, local authorities and rescue teams reached the spot and launched relief operations. Injured passengers were pulled out of the damaged vehicle and shifted to nearby hospitals.
Fourteen injured people were admitted to Vedanta Hospital in Dahanu, while others were taken to Kasa Sub-District Hospital for treatment. Some of the injured are said to be in critical condition.
CM announces compensation
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis expressed deep sorrow over the tragedy and announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh each for the families of those who died in the accident. The Chief Minister also said instructions had been given to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the injured victims. He added that the state administration was closely monitoring the situation.
Victims identified
Officials released the names of the 13 people who lost their lives in the accident:
- Suresh Ratna Lakhat
- Pandu Ganpat Lakhat
- Kalu Govind Lakhat
- Sunil Arjun Dandekar
- Chima Govind Kurhada
- Namita Vitthal Dandekar
- Sarika Santosh Lakhat
- Ayush Sitaram Lakhat
- Sagar Namdev Shende
- Vandana Shivram Valvi
- Saloni Shivram Valvi
- Ajay Ahadi
- Riyanshi Santosh Lakhat
