21 May,2019 01:27 PM IST | Maharashtra | mid-day online correspondent
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Two people died and 12 were injured in a crash on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway around 7.30 a.m. on Monday. A group of 20 people from Vasai was on its way to Mahabaleshwar for a picnic when the minibus rammed into the back of a luxury bus.
The minibus driver, Shekhar Rohidas Kamble (51), and one passenger, Joseph Manvel Serejo (62), died on the spot. Four others - Jayprakash Vartak (28), Alfiya Joseph Serejo (23), Preeti Gonsalves (25) and Nonrat Joseph Serejo (60) - were caught between the seats and are seriously injured. All the injured victim were taken to MGM Hospital, Kamothe, by the State highway police
Subhash Pujari, an assistant police inspector from State highway police stated, "We had to break open the door of the minibus to enter the vehicle. The four passengers who were seriously injured were stuck between the seats. To remove them safely without causing further injuries, we dismantled the seats and took the victims out."
According to the Hindu, during the initial investigation, it was suspected that the luxury bus was stationary while its driver, Sadiq Abubaker Nagori (44), had stepped out to relieve himself. Vishwajeet Kaingade, a senior police inspector from Khalapur police station said, "In the interrogation, however, we learnt that the luxury bus was moving slowly in the service lane. It is clearly the minibus driver's fault. He could have used the third lane of the expressway, but was probably overspeeding and could not control the vehicle."
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