Four on pilgrimage killed in road accident in Solapur, 8 others injured

Kalyan: In a tragic incident, four Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) residents were killed while eight others were injured in a road accident in Solapur district. The group was on a religious tour covering Solapur, Kolhapur and Pandharpur. The accident occurred in the Mangalwedha area when a speeding truck rammed into the vehicle carrying the devotees from Umesh Nagar in Dombivli West, who were returning from a pilgrimage.According to family members, after offering prayers at the Mahalaxmi Devi and Tulja Bhavani Devi temples, the group visited Pandharpur to seek the blessings of Lord Vitthal and Goddess Rukmini. On Monday around 7.30 pm, they were travelling from Mangalwedha towards Pandharpur on the national highway heading to Solapur railway station to return home, when the accident occurred. Eyewitnesses said a truck allegedly travelling at high speed crashed into their vehicle with tremendous force. The impact was so severe that the devotees' vehicle was dragged nearly 30 feet along the road and was completely mangled. Some passengers were thrown onto the road due to the impact, while others remained trapped inside the crushed vehicle, leading to chaos and panic at the accident site.Residents and the Mangalwedha police rushed to the spot soon after the accident and began rescue operations. The injured were immediately shifted to the Solapur district government hospital for treatment. The deceased have been identified as Sonam Ahire from Kalyan, Savita Gupta (42) from Dombivli, Yogini Kekane (38) from Dombivli, and 14-year-old Aditya Gupta, a resident of Parel in Mumbai.Aditya's nine-year-old younger brother, Ved Gupta, sustained serious injuries after the iron parts of the vehicle pierced his abdomen and body. His condition remains critical, while their mother suffered only minor injuries.The deceased Yogini 's son Rohan has also suffered minor injuries.The other injured include Kavita Tudasakar, Sonam Gupta, Rajshree Kadam-Sonawane, Aarti Gupta, Ganesh Gupta, Anjani Yadav and the driver, Navnath Hidkitti. The driver is also in a serious condition, while the condition of six others has stabilised and some have been discharged.Speaking about the group, Monty, brother of deceased Yogini Kekane told TOI that the group consisted of eight women and four children. The women worked in two neighbouring garment companies in Kalyan and were friends. They often travelled together with their children on religious pilgrimages every few months. This time, as January 26 fell on a Monday, they had planned a three-day trip and were returning the same night when the accident occurred.After receiving news of the accident, relatives of the victims rushed to Solapur. Local corporator Sandesh Patil also reached the hospital and assisted the families by arranging ambulances to bring the bodies back to Dombivli and Mumbai after post-mortem formalities. As the news spread, a wave of mourning swept through Dombivli. Kalyan rural MLA Rajesh More who visited house of deceased termed the incident extremely tragic and assured the bereaved families of all possible help.