At least 20 dead during Ganesh immersions in state: DGP office

The police said that four persons died due to drowning in Wardha district. While three of them drowned in Sawangi, the fourth died in Devli. While one each died due to drowning in Supra and Belvandi of Ahmednagar, Ghodegaon of Pune (rural), Vijapur naka in Solapur, Lonikand in Satara and Dhule Taluka, two such deaths were reported at Arni in Yavatmal.

Two other persons died due to drowning at Chalisgaon and Jamner in Jalgaon district.

Meanwhile, four persons of the same family, travelling on two-wheelers, were killed in an accident on a Nagpur flyover. The police said their bikes collided with a speeding SUV. “Due to the impact, the four fell off the flyover,” said an officer, adding that the SUV driver has been arrested.

In another incident, a 55-year-old woman died after a tree fell on a Ganesh pandal at Rabodi in Thane. Rajashri Walavalkar and others who sustained injuries were rushed to the hospital, where the woman died during treatment.

Meanwhile, Panvel Municipal Commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh said during an immersion in Vadghar, a generator wire had snapped, injuring 11 people.

“I and local DCP Shivraj Patil took seven of the injured to the Panvel sub-district hospital and four to Lifeline hospital. While one person is in ICU, two of the affected are children aged five and 15 years.’’

The police further said that while a brawl was reported between the Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray factions of the Shiv Sena in Ahmednagar, a dispute among police personnel and Ganesh mandal workers took place at Chandrapur.