Three individuals lost their lives and 15 others sustained injuries in a multi-vehicle accident on the Mumbai-Agra Highway in Maharashtra’s Thane district early Wednesday morning, police reported. The incident occurred around 4:15 am near the Khinavli bridge at Ghoteghar village in Shahapur taluka. According to an official from the Shahapur police station, the accident was triggered when the driver of an auto-rickshaw lost control of the vehicle, which struck the road divider, veered into the opposite lane, and collided with a private luxury bus, two cars, and a tempo.
Three passengers aboard the bus were killed on the spot, while 15 others, including the auto-rickshaw driver, suffered injuries. The injured were promptly transported to Shahapur sub-hospital, where three of them remain in critical condition. The bus involved in the crash was en route from Nashik to Mumbai. Following the incident, local police, along with emergency response teams, rushed to the site. The deceased were identified as Piyush Ganeshbhai Patil and Vrinda Piyush Patil from Amalner, and Rohini from Murbad. Their bodies have been sent to a government hospital for post-mortem examinations.
The collision caused a temporary traffic jam on the highway. However, quick action by local citizens, rescue teams, and police ensured the injured received assistance and traffic flow was restored. Senior officers, including DYSP Milind Shinde, Police Inspector Jitendra Thakur, and Assistant Police Inspector Shivkumar Jadhav, supervised rescue operations and are leading an investigation into the cause of the accident. Authorities are working to provide medical care for the injured and continue their probe into the tragic incident.