Palghar (Maharashtra), May 18 (IANS) At least 12 people were killed and more than 35 others injured after a container truck collided with a vehicle carrying wedding guests on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad National Highway in Maharashtra’s Palghar district on Monday, police said.

The accident occurred near Dhanivari village in the Kasa area when an Eicher truck carrying people to a wedding ceremony was hit by a speeding container truck travelling from Gujarat towards Mumbai.

The impact of the collision was so severe that both vehicles overturned on the highway, trapping several passengers inside the mangled vehicle.

According to police, the wedding party had left Bapu village in Dahanu and was travelling to Dhanivari for the ceremony.

Initial reports said more than 40 people were travelling in the vehicle, although some local accounts suggested that over 100 passengers might have been on board, raising concerns over overcrowding.

The crash triggered panic in the area, with local residents rushing to the spot to assist before emergency services arrived.

Villagers, police personnel and rescue teams carried out rescue operations and pulled injured passengers from underneath and inside the overturned vehicle.

Officials said at least 12 people died in the accident, while more than 35 others sustained injuries, many of them serious. The injured were admitted to Kasa Sub-District Hospital and other nearby medical facilities, including Vedant Hospital.

Hospital sources said some patients remained in critical condition and could be shifted to higher medical centres for advanced treatment if required.

Police have initiated a panchnama and spot inspection as part of the investigation. Preliminary findings suggest that speeding and negligence may have led to the accident.

Investigators are also examining whether the vehicle carrying the wedding guests was overloaded beyond its permitted capacity.

The bodies of those killed have been sent for post-mortem examination, officials said.

Traffic movement on the busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway remained disrupted for several hours after the accident as rescue operations and removal of the damaged vehicles continued.

Authorities said a detailed investigation was underway to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the crash.

–IANS

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