On way to Satara to cast votes, 3 killed, 16 hurt in mishap

Three people were killed and nearly 16 others injured when a private bus, taking all of them to their native Satara district in Maharashtra to cast their votes, hit a stationary truck on the Mumbai-Pune highway near here on early Monday morning, a police official said.

The mishap took place in the Kamshet area at around 4 am when the bus, carrying around 30 passengers, was on its way to Patan tehsil in adjoining Satara district from Mumbai.

"Around 30 people who work in Navi Mumbai had hired a private bus to go to their native place in Satara district as they wanted to cast their votes," said the official from the Kamshet police station.

The bus driver apparently lost control over the wheels following which the vehicle hit a truck parked on the roadside after breaking down, he said.

"Three people were killed in the mishap and around 16 others injured. The injured were rushed to a hospital in Talegaon where they were undergoing treatment," the official said.

Elections for the 288-member state Assembly were held on Monday.