Beed: One Killed, Another Critical As Car Hits Electric Pole In Ashti; Swift Police Action Averts Electrocution Risk

Beed: A 35-year-old man was killed on the spot and another critically injured when a speeding car crashed into a roadside electricity pole near Kasari in Ashti tehsil on the Beed-Ahilyanagar National Highway, about 80 km from Beed, early on Sunday. Prompt action by the Ashti police averted a potential electrocution tragedy after live high-tension cables snapped and fell onto the highway.

The deceased was identified as Shahbaz Shabnoor Syed (35), a resident of Bhingar in Ahilyanagar district, while Swastik Ganesh Salve (23), also from Bhingar, sustained severe injuries and is undergoing treatment.

According to police officials, the incident occurred around 4 am near a bridge in Kasari village. The car was travelling at high speed from Jamkhed towards Ahilyanagar when the driver lost control of the vehicle. The car veered off the carriageway and rammed into an electricity pole on the roadside.

The impact shattered the concrete pole, causing a high-tension overhead power line of the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) to snap and fall across the highway. Syed died due to the impact, while Salve was trapped inside the vehicle with severe injuries.

The fallen live cables posed a serious threat to approaching vehicles and commuters in the pre-dawn darkness, raising fears of electrocution.

The danger was averted through swift coordination by personnel at the Ashti police station. Police Constables Nandkishor Tandale and Rajabhau Sajgane, who received initial distress calls about the crash, immediately alerted Station Duty Officer Vikas Jadhav.

Recognising the danger posed by live wires on the national highway, Jadhav contacted the local MSEDCL substation operator to disconnect the power supply.

The power cut eliminated the immediate electrical hazard before heavy morning traffic began using the route. Police teams rushed to the spot, extricated the victims, sent the injured man for emergency medical treatment and cordoned off the area until MSEDCL repair crews arrived to clear the fallen wires.

Local residents and commuters praised the Ashti police for their quick response. Police have registered an accident case and are investigating further.

Two Wheeler Rider Killed

In a seperate incident, a 19-year-old two-wheeler rider was killed and his friend seriously injured after a container truck hit their vehicle from behind near Kamgar Chowk in the Pandharpur area of the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) zone on Sunday morning.

The deceased was identified as Dipesh Ganpat Divekar (19), a resident of Priyadarshini Indiranagar in the Garkheda area. His friend, Yash Sunil Kamble (21), sustained serious injuries. Police have registered a case against the container truck driver.

According to police, Divekar and Kamble were employed at Star Ways (W-95), a company in Pandharpur. After completing their night shift on Saturday, they were heading home towards Garkheda on Sunday morning on Divekar's two-wheeler (MH 20 HC 2779).

Around 7.15 am, an Ashok Leyland container truck (NL 01 AH 3367) hit their two-wheeler from behind near Kamgar Chowk. The impact threw both onto the road, and one of the truck's rear wheels ran over Divekar's head, leaving him critically injured.

Kamble sustained injuries to his head, left shoulder and leg. Following the accident, Divekar was rushed by ambulance to Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), where doctors examined him at 8.30 am and declared him dead.

Divekar's father, Ganpat Divekar, works as a ward boy at a private hospital. The family was overcome with grief after learning of the death of their only son