Five of Navi Mumbai family killed as bus falls off bridge in Satara

Five members of a Navi Mumbai family of 11, including a three-year-old boy, were killed after their speeding tempo traveller fell off a bridge on Saturday morning, police said. The remaining six and the driver, who was booked, sustained injuries and were recuperating at a hospital.

The family was headed to Goa for a vacation and started from Vashi around 9pm. The crash took place on Tarali river bridge, on the outskirts of Umbraj village in Karad, Satara, between 4.30am and 5am, according to the police.

“The driver of the vehicle dozed off while on the bridge. Due to this, he ended up hurtling off the bridge 50 feet below,” said AL Gorad, assistant inspector, Umbraj police station.

According to the police, after the vehicle crashed, one of the injured occupants called the emergency police helpline. The police traced the call and sent for rescue operations. The five killed are Madhusudhan Nair, 42, his wife Usha, 40, their 23-year-old son Aditya, along with Sajan Nair, 35, and his three-year-old son Aarav, police said.

The local traffic police said the place where the crash took place is not a black spot – an accident-prone area. The two-lane bridge is separated by a dividing gap, which looks over the river. Incidentally, a spot a few metres after the bridge ends is prone to crashes, police added.

“Such a crash has not taken place on the bridge. Nevertheless, crash barriers have been installed on the side of the roads to prevent crashes. It appears the vehicle, owing to its high speed, crashed through the concrete barrier and off the bridge,” said Asmita Patil, in-charge at Karad traffic police.

The driver of the vehicle and six other members of the Nair family sustained injuries in the crash. All of them were said to be recuperating and out of danger.

The injured were rushed to Satara civil hospital and the bodies were sent to Karad civil hospital for an autopsy.

“We contacted their relatives in Mumbai to inform them about the crash. The relatives are on their way,” said an officer from Satara police.

Meanwhile, the police have registered a case of rash driving and causing death due to negligence against the driver, Rinku Gupta, 30. Police said he was sober at the time of the crash.

The police sought help from cranes to pull the vehicle out.