A horrific head-on collision early Monday morning on the Malegaon-Manmad road in Maharashtra has claimed four lives and left over 20 people injured. The accident occurred around 3 AM near Varhane village in Malegaon taluka, involving a Pune-bound travels bus and a pickup vehicle.
Eyewitnesses described the crash as devastating, with the pickup van smashing directly into the bus. Chaos erupted at the scene as passengers were trapped between seats or thrown to the floor. Four individuals died on the spot, and two others remain in critical condition.
Local police and residents rushed to the site, launching immediate rescue operations. After strenuous efforts, trapped passengers were extricated and rushed to Malegaon Civil Hospital for treatment. Approximately 20 others sustained minor injuries.
Traffic on the busy stretch was disrupted for several hours while authorities cleared the wreckage and conducted investigations. Preliminary reports suggest high speed or driver drowsiness as possible causes, pending a full probe.
This tragedy comes just days after another fatal incident in Pune’s Pimpri-Chinchwad on January 14, where two sisters, Rituja Pandurang Shinde (24) and Neha Pandurang Shinde (20), lost their lives in a road mishap. As Maharashtra grapples with rising road accidents, calls for stricter enforcement of traffic rules grow louder.