Three people died and one severely injured when the vehicle they were travelling in collided with a trailer on Palm Beach Road near Killa Chowk in sector 15 of CBD Belapur on Monday.
The accident, which took place at 2am, took the toll to 13 this year on the killer stretch. The police said Dinesh Dhumre, 27, Atish Jombekar, 24, Rahul Thombre, 24, Rajan Kushuwaha, 19, and Ganesh Jombukar, 28, were going to Pune.
Dhumre, Jombekar and Thombre died on the spot. Kushuwaha suffered severe injuries to his head and hips. He was admitted to the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation hospital in Vashi and later shifted to Sion hospital, said an officer from Belapur police station, where the case has been registered.
“A few firemen, who were travelling on the same route, told us about the accident. Our officials rushed to the spot. All the victims were residents of Chakan area in Pune and were returning home from Mumbai. Jombukar, who escaped unhurt, helped us identify the bodies,” said Shekhar Tore, senior police inspector from the Belapur police station.
The police suspect the victims were drunk at the time of the mishap, but they do not have substantial evidence to confirm it. “Their bodies have been sent for post-mortem and we are waiting for the reports. We have detained the trailer. Initial investigations have revealed that the trailer’s driver was not at fault,” Tore added. Sources from the Belapur police told DNA that Rahul and Atish ran a tours and travel business while Dinesh was a mechanic.
“They had come to Panvel for some business on Sunday evening. After finishing their work, they went for a drive in Vashi and then decided to head back to Pune through the Palm Beach Road,” another official added.
