4 dead and 2 seriously injured when tow van collides with SUV

NAVI MUMBAI: A van towing a high-end car crashed into a parked SUV on the Mumbai-Goa highway, killing four people and leaving two others seriously injured.

The accident occurred early on Friday near Veer railway station in Raigad district.

According to police, the driver of the van, identified as Suyog Sahastrabudhe, 29, was arrested by the Mahad Taluka police for rash and rash driving.

The accident occurred while towing the high-end car from Chiplun to Panvel. The SUV the van crashed into had eight passengers, all from Mahad taluka.

The four deceased have been identified as Suryakant Sakharam More, 27, of Nave Nagar, Sahil alias Ritik Nathuram Shelar, 25, of Kumbharli, Prashant Natekar, 25, of Navenagar and Sameer Sudhir Minde, 35, by Das Gaon.

The seriously injured have been identified as Shubham Rajendra Matal, 27, from Shirgaon and Suraj Ashok Nalawade, 34, from Chambharkhind.

“A group of eight friends had casually decided to travel to the town of Lonere. However, the vehicle ran out of fuel midway and was parked near a railway bridge when the accident occurred,” said police inspector Santosh Jadhav of Mahad Taluka police station.

Two passengers escaped from the accident as one of them had gone to fetch diesel while another had gone out to talk on the phone.

“Six were sitting inside when the speeding tow van collided with the SUV. The impact of the collision was so strong that the SUV was ejected and the front of the tugboat was destroyed. The entire incident was witnessed by a friend who attended a phone call, identified as Arya Mahadkar, 19,” said Raigad additional superintendent of police Abhijeet Shivthare.

Of the two injured, Nalawade’s condition is reported to be serious and he is currently undergoing treatment at MGM Hospital, Kamothe.