PUNE: The driver of a private luxury bus from Karnataka and a nine-year-old girl on board a Maharashtra state transport Shivshahi bus were both killed, while 11 others were injured, in an accident involving two buses and two container trucks, around 8.15am on Sunday. The tragedy took place in Varve of Bhor tehsil, around 30km from the city on the Pune-Bengaluru highway.
Police identified the deceased girl as Rutuja Chavan of Uttamnagar in Pune and the private bus driver as Shivrajkumar Gauda (32). “Chavan was on her way to Sangli. The private bus was heading towards Pune from Karnataka,” said an officer from the Rajgad police.
Pune rural police said the Karnataka travel operator’s bus, which was on the way to Pune, was taking a turn to the service road for a breakfast halt, when it was hit from behind by a container truck.
The force of the impact caused the heavy vehicle to turn on its side. After the collision, the truck veered out of control to the right and landed in the Satara corridor of the highway, where it collided with the Shivshahi bus.
At the same time, another container truck coming from behind also crashed into the Shivshahi bus suddenly, the police said. An officer from the Rajgad police also confirmed, “After the first impact between the private bus and the container truck, the latter jumped the divider on the route and crashed into the Shivshahi bus. Another container truck, which was plying behind the Shivshahi bus, hit its rear.”
The accident caused disruption of traffic for three hours along the busy highway. Three cranes had to be summoned to remove the two buses and the two trucks. “The bus had turned on its side blocking the Pune corridor of the highway. Post-removal of vehicles, traffic resumed normalcy,” the officer said, adding, “The 11 injured victims were passengers from both buses. They were taken to nearby private hospitals.”
Police identified the deceased girl as Rutuja Chavan of Uttamnagar in Pune and the private bus driver as Shivrajkumar Gauda (32). “Chavan was on her way to Sangli. The private bus was heading towards Pune from Karnataka,” said an officer from the Rajgad police.
Pune rural police said the Karnataka travel operator’s bus, which was on the way to Pune, was taking a turn to the service road for a breakfast halt, when it was hit from behind by a container truck.
The force of the impact caused the heavy vehicle to turn on its side. After the collision, the truck veered out of control to the right and landed in the Satara corridor of the highway, where it collided with the Shivshahi bus.
At the same time, another container truck coming from behind also crashed into the Shivshahi bus suddenly, the police said. An officer from the Rajgad police also confirmed, “After the first impact between the private bus and the container truck, the latter jumped the divider on the route and crashed into the Shivshahi bus. Another container truck, which was plying behind the Shivshahi bus, hit its rear.”
The accident caused disruption of traffic for three hours along the busy highway. Three cranes had to be summoned to remove the two buses and the two trucks. “The bus had turned on its side blocking the Pune corridor of the highway. Post-removal of vehicles, traffic resumed normalcy,” the officer said, adding, “The 11 injured victims were passengers from both buses. They were taken to nearby private hospitals.”
