7 pilgrims die as vehicle turns turtle on Pune-Nashik Road

In a tragic incident, seven pilgrims were killed on the Pune-Nashik Road when a tempo in which they were travelling turned turtle on Sunday.

The tempo, which was carrying 35 pilgrims, met with the accident close to Pimpelwandi village near Narayangaon, about 60 km from Pune. The tempo was travelling to Dehugaon.

The victims were taken to a hospital in Aalephata for identification.

Five of the seven deceased persons have been identified as Sanjay Jagtap, 60, of Guljalwadi, Sangamner, Dattu Hari Shinde, 52, of Dehugaon, Sangamner, Tarabai Deshmukh, Shivaji Karle and Dinkar Kadlag. The names of other victims are yet to be confirmed by the police as their relatives have not arrived at the hospital.

According to the police, on Sunday morning, about 35 pilgrims of Guljalwadi and other adjacent villages were on their way to attend a religious programme at Dehugaon in Pune.

The incident took place when driver of the tempo tempo (MH-12 QA 7647) lost his control over the vehicle while taking a sharp turn on the Pune-Nashik road in Pimpelwandi village area.

Later, local residents of the area rushed to spot and took the victims out of the tempo. Assistant police inspector, S V Autade, of Naraynagaon police station told DNA, “Three pilgrims were killed on the spot while four others were pronounced dead after they were brought to the hospital. As many as 25 people have sustained injuries and have been admitted to four private
hospitals at Aalephata.”