India: At least 10 killed, 26 injured after truck hits four vehicles, rams into hotel in Dhule

At least 10 people were killed and26 others were injured after an accident involving a truck and several other vehicles occurred in the Indian state of Maharashtra’s Dhule district on Tuesday (July 4), said the police, as per media reports. It was earlier reported that at least 15 people were killed and more than 20 injured.

What happened?

The accident occurred around 10:45 am (local time) when a container truck hit four vehicles and then rammed into a roadside restaurant on a highway in Dhule. The truck was said to be travelling towards Dhule from the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh’s Indore.

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The incident took place near Palasner village on the Mumbai-Agra highway in Dhule which is some 300 kilometres away from the state capital. The news agency PTI reported that the brakes of the truck failed, following which its driver lost control of the wheels.

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Subsequently, the multi-axle truck hit two motorcycles, a car and another container from behind before ramming into a hotel and overturning. This comes after the police had earlier speculated that a brake failure apparently led to the accident.

The news agency report, citing RTO officials, also said the truck had hit a motorcycle a few kilometres ahead of the site of the accident and the driver was apparently speeding in panic.

What do we know about the victims?

According to the police, the victims include those waiting for the bus near the roadside restaurant, although the officials did not specify if they were injured or killed. The truck driver and his assistant, who are reported to be residents of Chittorgarh in the Indian state of Rajasthan, were killed inthe accident.

Additionally, two women and a 17-year-old teenager were among the deceased, said the police. Those injured were taken to nearby hospitals in Shirpur and Dhule by the local police of which one of them was said to be in critical condition, while the status of other victims was notknown. The identities of the victims were also notimmediately known.

‘Very sad’: Maharashtra deputy CM expresses deepest condolences

In a statement, the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis called the incident “very sad” and expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved families. The deputy CM also said that he wishes for a speedy recovery of those injured and that his administration will provide any help needed.

(With inputs from agencies)

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