13 killed in grisly mishap near Mansar

This is the second big accident that has occurred in the past one week on the highways criss-crossing the district, the earlier being on Bhandara Road in which lives of 11 persons were lost. Like the earlier accident, the deceased in the present case too were among a marriage party that was on way to Seoni in Madhya Pradesh from Kanhan.

The mishap occurred at around 8 in the morning on the Nagpur-Jabalpur highway when jeep No MH-31/H-8674 which had begun journey from Kanhan to Seoni, crashed on truck No MP-20/DA-3107 near Aamdi phata. According to police, the truck, which was on way to Nagpur from Katni, overturned after truck driver Vinod Jumaklal Soni (30) could not control his vehicle when another truck which was ahead of him came to a sudden halt.

Unable to control his vehicle and watching an imminent crash, Vinod Soni attempted to sweer the truck to the right of the road and in this attempt the truck overturned. The sudden blockage of the highway took place within a split second and was beyond the imagination of the jeep driver who crashed headlong onto the overturned truck at high speed.

According to Parsheoni police, nine persons from the jeep were killed on the spot, while four breathed the last during treatment at the Ramtek public health centre. Those killed include four kids in the age grounp of one to four years.

The deceased were identified as Mohammed Inayayat Shekh Mohammeddd (62), Hafeez Matin Sheikh (29), Aftab Khan Israel Khan (3), Golu Israel (4), Saleefa bano Inayat (18), Jameela Bi Inayat (48), Shahrukh Babu Khan (3), Sarika Madhukar Meshram (13) and Khubchand Kushwah (45). All of them were killed on the spot. Those who died at Ramtek PHC are: Noha Ismail (25), Abrar Inayat (30), Lalita Kantaprasad Sanodia (27) and an unidentified four-year-old child.

The injured have been identified as Khushal Bansod (30), Zubeda Begum Salim Sheikh (29), Murshida Begum Zuber Sheikh (50) and Kantaprasad Sanodia (36). Except Kushwah, who is resident of Lakhnandon, others are residents of Kanhan.

The accident site on the highway bore testimony to the gory mishap that had occurred. Till Sunday afternoon, the site of the mishap presented blood splattered scene and police had to summon a water tanker to wash out the bloody remains of the accident. The accident occurred barely two kms away from a Highway Safety Patrol (HSP) outpost at Aamdi phata.

The Superintendent of Police (Rural), Dilip Bhujbal, visited the accident spot and the hospital, where the injured are being treated. The Parsheoni police have registered a case of negligent driving against truck driver Vinod Soni and have arrested him. Further investigations are being done by PSO Bante of Parsheoni police station.