Eight bystanders killed as speeding truck overturns

Eight persons were crushed to death when a speeding container truck flipped and landed on a group of people standing at roadside at Pargaon-Khandala on a national highway in Maharashtra's Satara district today, police said.

"The mishap occurred around 12 noon when the driver of the sugar-laden container truck, on its way to Pune from Satara, lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a sharp turn after overtaking a state transport (ST) bus," said S K Shingte, Assistant Inspector, Khandala police station.

The vehicle overturned on its left side before falling on a group of people standing at the roadside waiting for a bus, killing them on the spot, he said.

The deceased included six women, while 15 other bystanders escaped unhurt.

All the eight people were rushed to a nearby hospital but pronounced dead before admission, Shingte said.

The mishap affected vehicular traffic on the highway for several hours before police removed the heavy vehicle with the help of a crane.

The driver of the vehicle fled after the accident. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh to the kin of the deceased.

"CM Devendra Fadnavis has expressed shock and grief over the accidental death of 8 persons at Pargaon-Khandala. He declared Rs 2 lakh as compensation to be paid to kin of the deceased people," an official from the Chief Minister's office said.

However, no information on compensation to be for the injured was provided by the Chief Minister's office.

The official added that senior officials of the Satara district have been ordered to monitor the help offered to the injured people.

"The Chief Minister has also asked the Co-operation Minister Chandrakant Patil to visit the accident site and personally monitor the situation," the official added.