india

Updated: Mar 02, 2020 11:54 IST

Five motorcylists were killed after a speeding mini truck overturned and crushed them in Khandala Ghat on old Mumbai-Pune highway late Sunday night, police said.

The motorcyclists were on their way to Talegaon after they spent a day at Alibag in Raigad where they had gone for a picnic, police said. The men were travelling on three bikes and had parked their two-wheelers near the side of the road.

“The group of six stopped by to relieve themselves when the truck was speeding towards them. The driver of the truck did not pay attention to the accident prone-road and while making a turn, the heavy vehicle lost balance and collapsed sideways on the bikes, crushing the men under it,” said an officer from Khopoli police station.

The truck was heading from Pune to Khopoli.

The deceased have been identified as Pradip Prakash Chole (31), Amol Balaji Chilme (29), Narayan Ram Gundale (27), Nivrutti Ram Gundale (30) and Govind Nalwad (35), all residents of Talegaon who were working at a private company in Talegaon.

The sixth man in the group, Balaji Bhandare (35), who was a few metres away from the others escaped death and alerted the police.

The driver escaped after the incident and a case of rash and negligent driving has been registered against him.