Maharashtra: Bus falls in well in Malegaon, 25 passengers injured
A State Transport (ST) bus in Maharashtra met with a horrific accident as it fell into a well after colliding with an autorickshaw. The accident took place in Nashik District. Police have recovered 20 bodies so far. 30 passengers have been rescued. It is not yet clear whether there are any passengers yet stuck inside the bus. Rescue work is going on.
The incident took place on Tuesday evening. The was travelling on Malegaon Kalvan road in the district. The accident took place near Meshi village. Bus driver lost control after one of the tyres burst. The bus then collided with the auto-rickshaw and both vehicles fell into the well.
The impact of the collision was so severe that the bus dragged the auto-rickshaw along with it and both the vehicles fell into a roadside well.
"As of now we have pulled out 15 bodies from the well and injured have been rushed to state-run hospitals in Malegaon and Deola," Sadashiv Waghmare, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Nashik Rural, said.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation-run (MSRTC) bus was on its way to Kalwan in Nashik from the adjoining Dhule district, while the auto-rickshaw was coming from opposite direction, he said. A rescue operation was on at the crash site, he added.
Arti Singh Superintendent of Police, Nashik (Rural) said that the death toll is feared to rise.
Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab said that he is obtaining all information about the accident. The minister has announced Rs 10 lakh for the family of the dead and said that Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) will bear full cost of medical aid required to the injured.
(With PTI inputs)
