A devastating accident involving a private passenger bus and a truck occurred early Sunday morning at around 2:30 AM, near the Biroba Temple in Salpe village, Phaltan Taluka, while the bus was en route to Ujjain for a pilgrimage.Three individuals lost their lives in the crash. The deceased have been identified as Salman Imtiaz Sayyed (age 24, resident of Malbag Patil Galli, Shiradhon, Taluka Shirol, District Kolhapur) and Rajani Sanjay Durgule (age 48, resident of Peth Vadgaon, Taluka Hatkanangle, District Kolhapur).
The private bus (registration number MH 04 CP 2452) from Ichalkaranji was carrying a group of female devotees to Ujjain for a religious visit. The bus was descending the Salpe Ghat via Wathar Station Road and heading toward Lonand around midnight Saturday. As it approached near Biroba Temple, a truck (registration number MH 42 BF 7784) coming from Lonand and heading toward Satara collided head-on with the bus.
The bus driver and a female passenger died on the spot, while another seriously injured woman succumbed to her injuries during treatment at Satara Civil Hospital.Local residents of Salpe rushed to the accident site and attempted to help the injured passengers. The Lonand Police also promptly reached the location. The injured were admitted to a private hospital in Lonand for treatment.