8 dead as van carrying devotees crashes 30 feet down in Khed

The Pimpri Chinchwad police said attempts are being made to identify the victims, mostly devotees on their way to the Kundeshwar Temple in Khed.

A pickup van carrying devotees lost balance on a slope and fell about 30 feet down, causing the death of seven people, mostly women, in the Pune district Monday afternoon. (Express Image)

A pickup van carrying devotees lost balance on a slope and fell about 30 feet down, causing the death of seven people, mostly women, in the Pune district Monday afternoon.

According to the police, the accident victims belonged to the Papalwadi village in Khed, and were going to the Kundeshwar Temple on the occasion of Shravani Somwar.

They said the van’s driver is suspected to have lost control of the steering on a slope, and the vehicle veered off course, slipped about 30 feet down, and then overturned.

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After receiving information, a team from the Mhalunge MIDC Police Station rushed to the accident spot. The police said the injured were taken to a hospital, where seven people were pronounced dead.

Shivaji Pawar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Pimpri Chinchwad, said the accident took place around 1.30 pm. “Attempts are on to identify the victims,” said Pawar.

Shree Kshetra Kundeshwar Devsthan Temple in Khed is a well-known religious place where people visit in the month of Shravan.

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