At least 15 passengers were injured in a bus accident on the Mumbai–Nashik–Agra highway near Raigad Nagar around 4.45 pm on Monday.
The bus (MH 20 CT 5663), travelling from Chalisgaon to Panvel with 40–45 passengers on board, rammed into an unidentified vehicle from behind. The injured were rushed to Nashik Civil Hospital with the help of an ambulance from Jagadguru Ramanandacharya Narendracharya Sansthan.
Those injured include Rama Sakharam Gawade (77), Fakira Khel Chand Pardeshi (76), Shobhabai Barku Khaire (75), Sumanbai Nimba Koshti (65), Barku Laxman Patil (52), Mumbra Bhika Koshti (75), Devkabai Rama Kavade (55), Vimalbai Baburao Patil (71), Shivaji Prahlad Chavan (61), Arunabai Shivaji Chavan (46) and bus driver Santosh Vilas Deshmukh. Others sustained minor injuries and are under treatment.
The driver, Deshmukh, is in critical condition. Another driver, Nivrutti Gund, assisted passengers by arranging an autorickshaw at Gonde Phata.
The crash caused a traffic jam on the highway, which was later cleared. Police are investigating the cause of the accident, while passengers alleged it may have resulted from overspeeding and potholes on the road. Doctors are monitoring the injured, and further details are awaited.
