6 killed, 15 injured as bus rams into truck

Pune/Belagavi: At least six people were killed and 15 others injured when a bus rammed into a stationary truck in Satara district of Maharashtra on Thursday morning, a police official said.

The deceased are Virupakshi Gaddi (58), Dr. Sachin Goonda, Abbas Ali Kataki (43), Ravindra Karengar(45), Ramachandra(50), all residents of Belagvi district.

The accident took place around 5 am near Mhasave village, located nearly 110 km from here, on Mumbai-Bengaluru National Highway no. 4, he said.

The private bus was going from Mumbai to Belagavi when it hit the truck on its rear side near Mhasave village, the official said.

On getting information about the incident, the Satara police and ambulances rushed to the spot.

“At least six people, including the bus driver, were killed and 15 others injured in the mishap,” Satara’s Superintendent of Police Tejaswi Satpute said.

All the injured persons were undergoing treatment at a state-run hospital, she said, adding that the condition of three of them was reported to be serious.

As there was low visibility on the road in the early morning hours, the bus driver was apparently not able to see the stationary truck in front. As a result, the bus rammed into it, another police official said.

A case was registered and an investigation was on to ascertain the exact cause of the accident, he added.