A speeding container trailer slammed into a tempo and a motorcycle on the Mumbai–Ahmedabad Highway near Dahanu in Palghar district on Monday, killing 13 people and injuring about 20, according to livemint.com.
The tempo was ferrying guests to an engagement ceremony when the collision occurred at Dhaniwari village around 10:30 am, the report said. The impact flipped both heavy vehicles, trapping occupants and triggering a pile-up that also involved a motorcycle. Local police and disaster-response teams reached the site within 30 minutes; fire brigades used hydraulic cutters to extricate bodies and survivors before rushing the injured to nearby hospitals, livemint.com added.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased and directed the district administration to ensure free treatment for the injured, according to the same source. The crash spot lies on a stretch of National Highway 48 that has seen at least four major accidents this year, prompting renewed calls for stricter speed-limit enforcement and lane discipline.
State transport officials told livemint.com that a special investigation team will submit its findings within seven days. Meanwhile, the Palghar police have registered a case against the trailer driver for rash and negligent driving; his blood samples have been sent for alcohol testing.