Six people were killed and 20 others injured in a major road accident at Laling Ghat in Dhule during the early hours of Monday. A luxury travel bus heading toward Dhule from Nashik rammed into two trucks that had already collided head-on on the Mumbai-Agra highway. Among the six deceased, five were from the travel bus, while the sixth was an employee at the nearby Laling toll plaza.
Details of the Incident
According to the police, the incident began around 2:30 am on Monday when a dump truck laden with sand was driving on the wrong side of the highway through Laling Ghat and collided head-on with a container truck heading toward Dhule. While toll plaza employees and police rushed to the spot to clear the two trucks off the road, a luxury travel bus heading toward the Dhule-Indore side rammed into the stationary vehicles about an hour later. The accident paralyzed one side of the highway, forcing police to divert traffic onto the Nashik-bound lane.
Casualties and Injuries
Shilpa Patil, Police Inspector (PI) of the Mohadi police station, stated that the 20 injured passengers suffered moderate injuries and have been admitted to the Dhule Civil Hospital. PI Shilpa Patil said the five deceased people travelling by the bus included its driver, two spare drivers, a cleaner and a passenger. The sixth deceased was a toll plaza employee who was at the scene assisting with the earlier collision.
Investigation and Aftermath
Police are investigating the cause of the initial wrong-side driving by the dump truck. The highway was cleared after several hours, and traffic was restored. Authorities have urged drivers to exercise caution on the hilly stretch of Laling Ghat, which has a history of accidents.
