Mumbai-Goa highway: Five going for kin’s funeral killed as car falls into river

Local residents rushed to the spot and alerted the authorities, after which cranes were used to pull the vehicle out and rescue the passengers. Though the passengers were rushed to a hospital, they were declared dead, police said.

The deceased have been identified as Mitali Vivek More, 43; Megha Paradkar, 22; Saurabh Paradkar, 22; Nihar More, 19; and Shreyas Sawant, 23.

An officer said that while the cause of the accident is still unknown, they are investigating whether the driver was speeding or fell asleep at the wheel. An FIR has been registered at the local police station, and police will record the statement of the driver, who sustained injuries.

An official said that the family hail from Mira Road and had left their residence at 11.30 pm on Sunday in a Kia Carens seven-seater vehicle.

The driver hit the boundary wall on one of the bridges atop the river and fell through the gap between the two bridges. An official said that only the driver Parmesh Paradkar and one Vivek More (47) survived. More told the police that they were going to his father-in-law’s funeral when the incident took place.

“The Khed police have registered an FIR against the driver but no arrest has been made in the case yet,” said Ratnagiri SP Dhananjay Kulkarni.