20 killed in Nashik bus-auto collision
MUMBAI: Twenty people were killed and 33 were left injured after a state transport (ST) bus crashed into an auto-rickshaw, causing both the vehicles to fall into a roadside well near Umarane village in Nashik, 250km away from Mumbai, on Tuesday.
According to the police, the incident took place around 3.30pm when the ST bus, carrying at least 43 people people, was heading from Malegaon to Deola. Meanwhile, the six-seater autorickshaw, ferrying 10 people, was heading from Deola towards Malegaon. “The vehicles collided head-on around a curve. We have recovered 20 bodies,” said Sadashiv Waghmare, deputy superintendent of police, Kalwan.
The police said the impact of the collision was so severe that the bus dragged the auto-rickshaw along with it and both fell into a 60-foot-deep well, which had water up to 10 feet.
The Nashik Rural police, local villagers and medical emergency services rushed to the accident spot for the rescue operations.
Till 9 pm, the police managed to rescue 33 people from the well. All of them were rushed to Deola
Rural Hospital, where most of them are recuperating. The police said a crane was used to pull the vehicles out of the well.
Waghmare said a case of causing death due to negligence will be registered after the rescue operation is completed and the initial formality of recording a punchnama is done. Officials said testimonies of the injured victims will help them draw up the exact sequence of events. As of now, police said that as the vehicles crashed at the curve, it is likely that both vehicles were speeding.
Uttam Jadhav, Nashik’s regional transport office (RTO) inspector, said, “Our entire team and locals are carrying out the rescue work in all possible ways.”
Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray has directed the district administration to ensure all required medical help for the injured passengers. “It has also been directed to extend all help to the relatives of the victims and passengers,” read a statement by the CM’s office.
Kailas Goswami, 57, a farmer from Haraswadi village, Kannad taluka, was in the bus. “Suddenly, there was a crash and the bus plunged into the well... I was stuck and was pulled out by the locals...”
Nimba Kothawade, 53, a resident of Kalwan, said his five relatives were in the bus. “They were all travelling to Deola from Malegaon. We found two bodies. One of my relatives is still untraceable. Two are injured and in hospital.”
Hemant Bharame, 31, lost his aunt, Alka More, 35. “My mother and aunt were travelling in the bus after attending a relative’s funeral in Malegaon. My aunt died and my mother suffered severe injuries. Bharame works as a labourer in Kharda village.