Representative image showing a dumpster truck
Credit: iStock Photo
Mumbai: At least three persons were killed when an allegedly inebriated driver ran a dumper over people on a footpath in Pune.
The incident took place near Kesnand Phata in the Wagholi area, during the intervening night of Sunday and Monday.
The driver, Gagajan Totre (26), hailing from Nanded district has been arrested by the Pune police.
The deceased have been identified as Vinod Pawar (22) and brother-sister duo of Vaibhav Pawar (2) and Vaibhavi Pawar (1).
The injured were identified as Janki Pawar (21), Rinishi Pawar (18), Roshan Bhosale (9), Nagesh Pawar (27), Darshan Vairal (18) and Alisha Pawar (47).
The injured were rushed to a private hospital, where their condition is said to be critical.
The victims are part of a group of 50-odd people, who had come from Amravati to Pune to work as daily labourers.
"We all were sleeping when the dumper came and ran over. There was chaos, there was blood everywhere," eyewitnesses said.
The group had arrived to work as construction workers after the soyabean harvest.
Additional Commissioner of Police Manoj Patil said that the dumper driver ran over sleeping people. "The accident took place around 0100 hrs," he said.
Shirur MLA Dnyaneshwar Katke said that the driver was drunk and crushed nine people. "We have to take steps to improve road safety," he added.
"We have registered a case against the driver," said Senior Police Inspector Pandit Rejitwad.