Truck driver dies in highway explosion in Maha's Kolhapur

A 45-year-old truck driver was killed in an explosion on Mumbai-Bengaluru Highway near Kolhapur, the police said on Saturday.

At around 11.30 pm on Friday, Dattatray Patil had stopped on the road after his truck broke down on the highway, a senior police official from Kolhapur police said.

"It is suspected Patil may have kicked an object containing explosives lying on ground. This may have triggered an explosion. It is possible the explosive was kept by the road to kill pigs or other animals," he said.

He said police were yet to ascertain what kind of explosive it was.

Patil sustained severe injuries, and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.

The deceased, a resident of Kolhapur in Maharashtra, was returning to the city after delivering some goods at the MIDC area in Shirgaon.

Patil had reportedly called up his friend after the truck broke down, but the friend showed up after the blast had occurred and could not explain what had transpired, he said.

The police have registered a case of accidental death and are investigating the incident, the official added.