“Tragic Accident on Ahmednagar Kalyan Highway Claims Lives of Eight, Including Junnar Family and Mumbai Father-Son Duo”

Accident – death – Obituary News : A Tragic Accident Claims the Lives of Eight Individuals on Ahmednagar Kalyan Highway in Pune

In a devastating incident on Sunday night, a fatal accident involving a pick-up truck and an autorickshaw on the Ahmednagar Kalyan highway in Junnar taluka of Pune district resulted in the loss of eight lives. Among the victims were a family of four, including two children from Junnar, as well as a father-son duo from Mumbai.

The collision occurred between Dingore and Pimpalgaon Joga villages, approximately 105km away from Pune city, at around 10.30pm. According to Ankit Goyal, the Superintendent of Police (Pune rural), initial investigations revealed that the pick-up truck, which was loaded with vegetables, collided with the autorickshaw that was coming from the opposite direction. The impact of the collision caused the pick-up truck to hit another truck, leading to the tragic demise of all eight individuals traveling in both vehicles.

Inspector Sachin Kandage, in-charge of Otur police station, shed light on the sequence of events, stating that the pick-up truck was traveling on the Ahmednagar-Kalyan corridor while the autorickshaw was moving in the opposite direction. The pick-up truck veered into the opposite corridor at an alarmingly high speed and crashed into the autorickshaw while negotiating a turn. The collision caused both vehicles to lose balance and topple over. The pick-up truck, after skidding, collided with another truck approaching from the opposite direction.

Regrettably, five people in the pick-up truck, including a family of four, suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene. The deceased have been identified as Ganesh Maskare (30), a farmer and vegetable vendor who was driving the pick-up truck, his wife Komal (25), their children Kavya (6) and Harshad (4), all residents of Madh village in Junnar taluka. Additionally, Amol Mukunda Thoke (25), an employee at Maskare’s vegetable shop, also lost his life in the accident.

Investigations have revealed that the Maskare family had attended a wedding near Pimpalwandi village earlier in the day. Following the event, Ganesh had loaded his pick-up truck with vegetables from Narayangaon and Otur markets, intending to sell them at his shop the next day. Authorities believe that the loading of the truck may have contributed to the occurrence of the accident.

The three occupants of the autorickshaw, who also tragically lost their lives, have been identified as Naresh Namdeo Diwate (66), a native of Chiplun in Ratnagiri residing in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar area, Makarand Madhukar Khire (54), and his son Samarth (16) from Kanjur Marg in Mumbai. Officials revealed that Khire’s family originated from the Koregaon area in Satara.

According to the police, Diwate was driving the autorickshaw at the time of the accident. The driver of the truck, which was hit by the pick-up truck, promptly stopped passing vehicles on the highway and rushed all the injured individuals to a nearby hospital. Unfortunately, all of them were pronounced dead upon arrival.

Highlighting the road conditions, Lata Phad, Superintendent of Police, Highway Safety Patrol (Pune division), emphasized that the accident spot on the Ahmednagar-Kalyan highway had a turn, although not an excessively sharp one. The highway corridors in both directions consist of only one lane each, without any divider. Therefore, vehicles taking the turn at high speeds pose a risk of crossing over to the opposite lane, which is precisely what occurred in this tragic incident.

In response to the accident, Phad stated that they have communicated with the concerned officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and provided a list of recommended corrective measures to enhance safety on this stretch of the highway.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Ravindra Chaudhari, from the Junnar division, further highlighted the region’s predominant vegetable production, which necessitates numerous pick-up trucks transporting vegetables along the Ahmednagar Kalyan highway. It has been observed that many transporters overload their vehicles beyond the permitted capacity. Additionally, some transporters modify the carriage area of the pick-up truck to accommodate more crates of vegetables, resulting in an increased risk of imbalance at high speeds.

The tragic accident has brought immense sorrow and grief to the affected families and the local community. Authorities are conducting a thorough investigation to ascertain all the factors contributing to the incident..