5 killed, 42 injured as bus ferrying pilgrims hits tractor on Mumbai-Pune Expressway
Mumbai (PTI): At least five persons were killed and 42 others injured when a bus carrying pilgrims hit a tractor on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, police said on Tuesday.
The bus was ferrying 54 'warkaris' (devotees of Lord Vitthal) who were on their way to Pandharpur for the Ashadhi Ekadashi celebrations from their hometown Dombivli in Thane district near Mumbai, they said.
The accident took place at around midnight near Panvel in Navi Mumbai, an official said.
While on the expressway, the speeding bus hit the tractor.
Three passengers from the bus and two from the tractor were killed, DCP Vivek Pansare said, adding that a woman was among the deceased.
After hitting the tractor, the bus rammed into a barricade of the expressway and fell into a 20-feet-deep gorge, the official said.
The injured pilgrims were rushed to a private hospital for treatment. The condition of seven of them was serious, he said.
Ashadhi Ekadashi will be celebrated on Wednesday.
Lakhs of warkaris undertake the pilgrimage every year to Pandharpur, where they converge on the Ashadhi Ekadashi from all parts of Maharashtra.
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Fire breaks out at chemical plant in Navi Mumbai; no one hurt
Thane (PTI): A fire broke out at a chemical plant in an industrial area of Navi Mumbai, and the operation to contain the blaze has continued overnight, an official said on Saturday.
There were no casualties in the fire that erupted around 11:20 pm on Friday at a polymer company in the Shirvane MIDC area on the Thane-Belapur Road, said Yasin Tadvi, chief of the civic disaster management cell.
He said the company manufactured electrical insulation materials, epoxy products, and fibre/plastic electrical products, and the blaze spread due to the presence of highly flammable chemicals, damaging machines and materials stored on the premises.
The official said four fire brigades from different areas of Navi Mumbai were deployed to control the blaze, and fire-fighting operations have continued overnight.
Officials said nearby businesses and workers have been alerted, and precautionary measures are being taken to ensure public safety.
They said the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, and a probe will be conducted.
