Mumbai, Sep 8 (Mid-Day): At least nine people were killed and over 25 others injured when a luxury bus packed with devotees returning to Mumbai from Shirdi crashed into a SUV on the Mumbai-Nashik Highway near Lahe village, 80 kms from Mumbai. While all four occupants of the SUV were killed on the spot, five bus passengers too perished in the horrific accident.

According to eyewitness accounts, at around 4 pm, as the luxury bus approached a bend, a two-wheeler suddenly came in its path. The Mumbai-bound bus swerved sharply and the driver lost temporary control of the wheels. The bus jumped the road divider, landed on the opposite side of the road and collided head on with the SUV coming from the opposite direction.

Of the four passengers of the car who died in the accident, only one, Anuj Prasad Rangudube (54) is has been identified. Four of the five bus passengers who perished in the accident have been identified as Sonia Navinkumar Jain (30), Vaibhav Vinod Mahadik (12), Gauri Kalyan Raman (55) and Kunjlal Neelkanth Mahato (20).

“We got the call informing us about the accident at around 5.20 pm. All the injured have been taken to Shahapur Civil Hospital for medical attention. The families of those involved in the accident have been informed and some of the injured will soon be moved to other hospitals. We are all on the job,” said a Shahapur Highway Traffic Police Official.