5 killed as two cars crash on expressway

Five people died yesterday, adding to the growing list of citizens losing lives in mishaps on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway. The accident occurred near the location where two Marathi actors met with a fatal mishap in December.

Yesterday's accident occurred at Kamshet near Pawana police chowkie (km 74) at 8.30 am. Police officials said a Swift Dzire (MH 03 C 9958) was heading towards Mumbai, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and entered the wrong lane by breaking the median and rammed into a Maruti Eco (MH 43 AL 3528).

Totalled: The Swift Dzire (above) was heading towards Mumbai, when the driver lost control of the vehicle and entered the wrong lane by breaking the median and rammed into the Maruti Eco; cops ensured there were no traffic jams

While Shivaji Tukaram Vaykar and Ajit Anant Lalvani, who were travelling in the Dzire, died on the spot, the other three deceased, who were in the Eco, have been identified as Gajanan Shekhar Pandit (41), Yadnyeshwar Gajanan Phatak (48) and Prakash Gunaji Salave (31).

The trio was on its way to Pune. Their faces were damaged so badly that cops could establish their identities only by evening. All bodies were shifted to a private hospital in Nigadi.

PSI Gulab Walekar of Kamshet police chowkie said, "Speeding may have caused this accident. Otherwise, there is no reason for the driver to lose control of his car. We reached the spot within 15 minutes and cleared the highway to avoid traffic jam." u00a0