27 killed in road mishap on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

The injured included an eleven-month-old girl who had a providential escape with minor injuries, police said.

The tragedy struck the wedding revellers travelling in two mini buses heading for Pune in the wee hours at around 1 AM when the tyre of one of the two vehicles got punctured on the highway, following which the driver pulled up the mini bus by the roadside, while another vehicle also stopped behind to carry out repairs, they said.

"The mishap occurred when a tempo coming at a high speed lost control and rammed into the second mini bus from the rear, crushing people seated on the road between the two vehicles", Raigad Superintendent of Police R D Shinde told PTI over phone.

The deceased, including 15 women and seven children, were returning to Pune after attending a wedding at suburban Ghatkopar in Mumbai, said I S Patil, senior inspector of Khalapur police station, adding that all the victims hailed from Pune.

"The injured included an eleven-month-old baby girl who escaped with minor injuries. All the 29 injured, including the baby girl, have been admitted to MGM Hospital at Panvel and Sassoon Hospital in Pune", Patil said.

Stating some of the injured had been discharged, he said, "the condition of the wounded undergoing treatment in the hospitals is good", he said. (More)