One killed, two feared drowned as truck hits autorickshaw plunges into river in Thane district

Thane: A woman was killed, and two persons are feared drowned after a speeding truck hit an autorickshaw and plunged into a river in Maharashtra's Thane district on Tuesday, police said.

The accident occurred in the morning in Kalyan town, an official said.

The truck hit the autorickshaw on a bridge, breached the embankment and plunged into the Gandhari River, sub-inspector Badgujar of the Kalyan Traffic Department said.

"A woman in the rickshaw died in the crash. It is not yet clear how many people were in the autorickshaw or the truck," he said.

Chief Fire Officer Namdev Chaudhary said the truck had fully submerged in the river.

He said preliminary reports suggest there were two people in the truck, and rescue teams have launched a search for them.

According to officials, the collision was so intense that the 10-foot embankment of the bridge collapsed, sending the truck hurtling into the Gandhari River. There were no other vehicles in the vicinity at the time.