5 killed, over 40 injured as bus rams tractor on Mumbai-Pune Expressway

The bus was ferrying 54 'warkaris' (devotees of Lord Vitthal) who were on their way to Pandharpur for the Ashadhi Ekadashi celebrations

Mumbai: At least five persons were killed and 42 others injured when a bus carrying pilgrims hit a tractor on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, police said on Tuesday.

The bus was ferrying 54 ‘warkaris’ (devotees of Lord Vitthal) who were on their way to Pandharpur for the Ashadhi Ekadashi celebrations from their hometown Dombivli in Thane district near Mumbai, they said.

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The accident took place at around midnight near Panvel in Navi Mumbai, an official said. While on the expressway, the speeding bus hit the tractor. Three passengers from the bus and two from the tractor were killed, DCP Vivek Pansare said, adding that a woman was among the deceased.

After hitting the tractor, the bus rammed into a barricade of the expressway and fell into a 20-feet-deep gorge, the official said. The injured pilgrims were rushed to a private hospital for treatment. The condition of seven of them was serious, he said. Ashadhi Ekadashi will be celebrated on Wednesday.

Lakhs of warkaris undertake the pilgrimage every year to Pandharpur, where they converge on the Ashadhi Ekadashi from all parts of Maharashtra.