Seven from Aurangabad die after car's tyre bursts

KOLHAPUR: Seven youths from Aurangabad were killed, five of them on the spot, when their SUV collided head-on with a truck near Belgavi on Sunday afternoon.
Police identified the deceased as Nandu Pawar (28), Amol Newe 26), Suresh Kaneri (29), Amol Chauri (26), Mahesh Chauri (28), Gopal Patil and Mahesh Padle. Patil and Padle succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.
Police said the accident took place near Srinagar garden after the front tyre of the speeding vehicle burst, causing the driver to lose control.The SUV jumped the divider and went to the other side of the highway before colliding with the truck that was going to Dharwad. The front portion of the truck was damaged in the accident.
A rescue team tried to pull out the bodies from the mangled vehicle. Patil and Padle, who were still breathing, were rushed to the KLE hospital but they died a few hours later.
Police contacted the relatives of the youths with the help of documents found in the SUV. The bodies have been kept at the KLE hospital morgue.
Traffic on the highway was stopped for few hours after the accident. It was restored after the damaged SUV was towed away from the road.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the youths were going to Goa. While five of them were residents of Sharnapur, two were from Daulatabad. Some of them were farmers and the others were working in private companies.
Patil was a social worker and a member of the Daulatabad gram panchayat. He is survived by his wife, a daughter and parents. Padle, also a resident of Daulatabad, got married a year back. He is survived by his wife and parents. Pawar was the only son of his parents. His younger brother died in a road accident a few years ago. Kaneri, who was also the only son of his parents, is survived by his wife, two children and parents.