Sangli (Maharashtra), May : Six members of a family were killed and a woman was seriously injured when their car plunged into a dry canal in Sangli, Maharashtra.
The accident occurred around 1:30 AM on Tasgaon-Manerajuri Road near Tasgaon town, Shivaji Mandle, the duty officer of Tasgaon Police Station, said. The speeding Alto car plunged into the Tasari canal, which was dry due to the summer season.
The car was badly crushed as it fell about 10 meters into the canal bed.
The family was reportedly returning from Kavathe-Mahankal after celebrating their daughter’s birthday.
The exact cause of the accident is being investigated, but preliminary investigation suggests that one of the family members, who was driving the car, may have fallen asleep while driving.
Mandle said that a local villager spotted the car in the canal and the injured people in the morning and informed the police.
Upon receiving the information, the police started the rescue operation.
Mandle said that the rescue team rushed the only survivor, 30-year-old Swapnali V. Bhonsle, to the LifeCare Hospital in Tasgaon with serious injuries.
The other victims who died in the accident were identified as 60-year-old Rajendra J. Patil, his 55-year-old wife Sujata R. Patil, their 30-year-old daughter Priyanka A. Kharde, 3-year-old grandson Dhruv, 2-year-old Rajvi and 1-year-old Kartiki.
A crane has been requisitioned to remove the car from the canal, the bodies have been sent for autopsy and further investigation is underway, Mandle said.