13 killed, 30 injured as trailer rams wedding party tempo in Palghar

“Upon reaching Dhaniwari village, a trailer (NL 01 AC 9118) coming from the opposite direction lost control, and its container box collided heavily with the left side of the tempo. A motorcycle (MH 04 EM 8425) was also caught in the pile-up,” it said.

(Express Photo)

In the impact, the front section of the container broke apart and fell onto the truck, trapping several passengers underneath. Both riders of the motorcycle were also killed.

The tempo, bearing registration number MH 48 DC 7474, was allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the Mumbai-Gujarat carriageway, the statement said, while officials said the trailer allegedly lost control before the incident.

The statement identified the 13 deceased persons as Suresh Ratna Lakhat, Pandu Ganpat Lakhat, Kalu Govind Lakhat, Sunil Arjun Dandekar, Chima Govind Kurhada, Namita Vitthal Dandekar, Sarika Santosh Lakhat, Ayush Sitaram Lakhat, Sagar Namdev Shende, Vandana Shivram Valvi, Saloni Shivram Valvi, Ajay Ahadi and Riyanshi Santosh Lakhat.

Local residents and rescue teams scrambled to pull survivors out from beneath the mangled truck and fallen container. Fourteen persons who were critically injured were shifted to Vedantaa Hospital in Dahanu, while the other injured were admitted to Kasa Sub-District Hospital, where a huge crowd gathered.

District officials and police personnel were present at the site to coordinate rescue operations and manage traffic on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. The administration added that the exact cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Police have begun an investigation into the accident, even as rescue and relief efforts continued through the evening.

For further inquiries or to provide information, relatives can contact Dr Sachin Waghmare at 9421485504, the district administration statement said.

Police have registered a case against both drivers- the Eicher tempo carrying the wedding party and the trailer under Section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) along with other relevant sections the BNS. Police said the Eicher driver has been detained, while the trailer driver sustained injuries and has been admitted to Kasa District Hospital. Seventeen passengers are still undergoing treatment at Vedanta Hospital; of them, six are in critical condition in the ICU, while eleven are reported to be out of danger, said Assistant Commissioner of Police Vinayak Narale of Palghar.