By IANS,
Pune/Mumbai : Sixteen people, including women and children, were killed and five other people were injured when a sports utility vehicle carrying them collided with a truck on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway Sunday morning, the police said.
The accident occurred around 4.30 a.m. near Shedung village, a police official said.
The Land Cruiser SUV, carrying members of a marriage party from western Maharashtra’s Satara district, rammed into the truck which was either stationary or had slowed down near Panvel, the official said.
The SUV was moving towards Vashi area of the satellite town of Navi Mumbai for a wedding. All casualties are reported to be from Chavneshwar village in Satara district, the police said.
The police said that 13 of the 16 dead have been identified. The dead are Sunanda Yashwant More (32), Bhai Surender Shere (1), Sail Lakshman Shere (15), Shankuntala Dagdu Sakbol (15), Gangubai Ganganamse (52), Lakshman Sudam Shere (40), Vaishali Dayanand Shere (35), Sadashiv Shere (62), Shubhangi Lakshman Shere (40), Kalabai Sahebrao Gaikward (55), Raji Sunderbai Shere (35), Kanchan Sadashiv Shere (50) and Alka (45).
A similar accident took place April 30 on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway when a Mahindra Jeep hit a truck, leaving three dead and five injured. The accident took place about 40 km from Pune at Khopoli-Bor Ghat.