Maharashtra: 12 dead in Samruddhi Expressway accident; probe ordered

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has initiated an investigation into the Samruddhi Expressway accident and has announced financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh for the families of each deceased victim.

Twelve passengers, including a child, were killed and 23 injured when a speeding mini-bus hit a container truck on Samruddhi Expressway in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district early on Sunday (October 15), police said.

In all, 35 passengers were travelling on the bus. They were returning to Nashik after visiting the Sailani Baba dargah in Buldhana district, an official said.

President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a post on X said an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) would be given to the next of kin of each deceased and the injured would be given Rs 50,000.

The accident took place shortly after midnight Sunday in Vaijapur, nearly 80 km from the district headquarters and 350 km from state capital Mumbai, said officials.

The bus driver lost control and hit the stationary container truck from the rear near Jambargaon toll plaza, the police said.

Prima facie, the mini-bus was overloaded. It had the capacity to carry 17 people, but nearly 35 passengers were travelling on it, an official from Vaijapur police station told PTI.

Twelve passengers were killed. The deceased include five men, six women, and a five-year-old girl, inspector Shyamsundar Kavthale from Vaijapur police station said.

The official said 23 received injuries and were admitted to hospital. The bus driver was among those hurt. He received a head injury, the official said.

A control room of the Samruddhi Expressway received a call about the accident through the RTO at 12.07 am. An assistance team and ambulance reached the location in a few minutes, an official from the Samruddhi Expressway control room told PTI.

The bus driver claimed he saw the truck suddenly in front of his vehicle before the accident. Some locals alerted the police about the accident.

"The accident took place on the first lane from the crash barrier side where the vehicles are supposed to move at a speed of 80 km per hour. The mini-bus collided with the truck on the first lane from the road shoulder. We had to cut a part of the mini-bus from the driver's side to bring people out of the vehicle," an official from the expressway control room said.

The victims

The deceased have been identified as Tanushri Solse (5), Sangeeta Aswale (40), Panjabi Jagtap (38), Kajal Solse (32), Rajani Tapase (32), Hausabai Shirsat (70), Zumbar Gangurde (58), Amol Gangurde (18), Sarika Gangurde (40), Milind Pagare (50), Deepak Kekane (47), all from Nashik, and Ratan Jamdade (45) from Vaijapur in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the police said.

The Samruddhi Mahamarg, named Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 701-km-long expressway connecting Mumbai and Nagpur. It traverses 10 districts including Nagpur, Washim, Wardha, Ahmednagar, Buldhana, Aurangabad, Amravati, Jalna, Nashik and Thane.

The construction of the Samruddhi Mahamarg is being carried out by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation.

The first phase, connecting Nagpur to the temple town of Shirdi, was inaugurated by PM Modi in December 2022. It covers a distance of 520 km.

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis inaugurated the 80-km second phase, stretching from Bharvir village in Igatpuri taluka to Shirdi, on May 26.

A number of accidents have taken place on the expressway since it became operational.