Four youths killed as Scorpio rams truck on new Karad flyover on Pune-Bengaluru highway

Four youths were killed and three seriously injured when their Scorpio rammed into a truck from behind on the new six-lane flyover on the Pune-Bengaluru highway near Karad town in Satara district.

The seven youths were returning to their village after offering prayers at the Mahalaxmi temple in Kolhapur. The flyover had been opened to traffic only a few days earlier, and this is the first such serious accident on it.

The youths, from Katarkhatav in Khatav taluka, had travelled to Kolhapur by Scorpio on the occasion of Dussehra to pay their respects to Mahalaxmi. They were returning to the village at night after the darshan. At around 11 pm, their Scorpio hit a truck hard from behind on the new six-lane flyover near Karad. The impact was so severe that the Scorpio was completely crushed.

Tejas Deshmukh (25), who was driving, Sagar Nimbalkar (23), Suyash Chinchkar (20) and Rohit Dhotre (21) died on the spot. Rituraj Dubale (21), Shantanu Shingade (20) and Aman Tamboli (23) were seriously injured. All three are being treated at Krishna Hospital in Karad.

All the youths are residents of Katarkhatav village in Khatav taluka of Satara district. The deaths of four youths from one village have plunged the entire village into mourning, and the families of the dead have been devastated.

On receiving news of the accident, Karad DySP Rajshri Patil, Karad City police station senior police inspector Dattatray Darade, and Karad traffic branch personnel Sandeep Salunkhe, Sangram Patil, Amrit Babar, Dastgir Aga, Rahul Kadam and Sachin Deokar reached the spot. Local residents also helped. Police and residents rushed the injured to hospital. Traffic on the highway, which had been halted by the accident, was restored. Karad police are taking further legal action in the case.