Palghar, May 18 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday expressed grief over the accident on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway in which at least 13 people were killed and 20 others injured after a speeding container truck rammed into a vehicle carrying members of a wedding party.

Expressing condolences to the families of the deceased, the Chief Minister said the state administration was closely monitoring the situation.

“The accident at Dhanivari on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway is extremely unfortunate. I am deeply saddened to hear about the loss of lives,” Fadnavis said in a post on social media platform X.

“I am in constant touch with the district administration. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured,” he added.

The Chief Minister also announced an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each from the state government for the next of kin of those killed in the accident.

In the tragic road accident on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway, at least 13 people lost their lives and nearly 20 others sustained injuries after a speeding container truck rammed into an Eicher vehicle carrying a wedding party. The incident occurred at Dhanivari in Maharashtra’s Palghar district.

According to police sources, the container truck travelling from Gujarat towards Mumbai allegedly lost control and collided violently with the Eicher vehicle. The impact of the collision was so severe that both vehicles overturned.

Soon after receiving information about the accident, local police personnel and emergency rescue teams rushed to the spot.

The Superintendent of Police personally supervised the rescue operation at the site. Officials later confirmed that the rescue work had been completed.

The victims, who were part of a wedding procession, had reportedly left Bapu village in Dahanu and were travelling towards Dhanivari for the ceremony when the accident took place.

Preliminary police findings indicate that more than 40 passengers were travelling in the wedding vehicle, although some local reports suggested that it may have been overcrowded. Investigators are examining whether passenger safety norms were violated.

The injured persons were shifted to nearby medical facilities and are currently undergoing treatment at Kasa Sub-District Hospital and another medical centre in Dhundalwadi.

Police sources said preliminary findings pointed towards overspeeding and driver negligence by the container truck driver as possible causes of the accident.

“We have initiated a formal spot inspection and panchnama to ascertain the exact sequence of events, including whether safety rules regarding passenger limits were flouted,” police sources said.

The wreckage caused major traffic congestion stretching several kilometres along the busy Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway. Traffic movement was gradually restored after highway police used cranes to remove the damaged vehicles from the road.

A detailed investigation into the exact cause of the accident is currently underway.

–IANS

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