Runaway trailer ploughs into Ganesh procession in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, kills two

A tragic accident marred Ganeshotsav celebrations in Pimpri Raja village in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. A runaway trailer suddenly ploughed into a procession welcoming the Ganesh idol, killing two people and injuring seven others. The incident, which occurred on the festival day itself, left the entire village in shock.

According to information received, around 8 pm on Monday, September 14, the procession welcoming Ganpati Bappa was being taken out with great enthusiasm to the beat of dhol-tasha on Dahegaon-Karmad Road. A trailer (MH-21-BH-7416) coming from the direction of Karmad suffered a sudden brake failure while taking a turn. The driver lost control of the vehicle and the trailer crashed straight into the procession.

The speeding trailer first rammed into the rear of a tractor carrying the Ganesh idol. But the trailer did not stop there, and going further, it also ran over a person riding a motorcycle. The motorcycle went straight under the trailer's wheel, making the accident even more severe.

The trailer driver, Ramesh Lahuji Bansode, 51, and Vitthal Rambhau Jadhav, 38, both residents of Pimpri Raja, died in the accident. Seven other people who were part of the procession were injured, including Ganesh Pawar, Harshavardhan Pawar, Vaibhav Bhavale, Namdev Bansode, Vishnu Rajane, Amol Fatpure and Prakash Pakhare. All the injured have been admitted to hospital for treatment.

The accident, which took place before onlookers, caused panic in the procession. Villagers rushed to help and took the injured to hospital. On receiving information about the incident, Inspector Samratsingh Rajput and Jamadar Jaysingh Naglot of Karmad police station reached the spot with their team and brought the situation under control.

Police are currently investigating the case in detail. They are looking into whether the trailer's brakes had actually failed or whether high speed or some other reason was behind the accident. The village's joy turned to grief within moments after two people lost their lives amid preparations to welcome Bappa.

In another incident, a young man and woman travelling towards Chiplun in Konkan for Ganeshotsav also met with misfortune. The accident occurred near Khavti village on the Mumbai-Goa highway in Khed taluka of Ratnagiri district.

The two were travelling by motorcycle from Poladpur towards Chiplun when the rider lost control of the bike, which fell into a pit around 25 to 30 feet deep by the side of the highway. The motorcycle rider, Satish Nivrutti Pate, 29, a resident of Poladpur, died on the spot. Akshata Arvind Kawade, a resident of Chiplun, who was riding pillion, was seriously injured and is undergoing treatment at Kalambani sub-district hospital. People in the area expressed deep grief over the misfortune that befell the two as they were travelling to Chiplun for Ganeshotsav celebrations.