8 women, 2 children among 18 killed in Satara tempo mishap

PUNE: At least 18 people, including eight women and two children, died on the spot while 19 others were injured when their tempo swerved off the road and toppled over at the dangerous 'S' shaped stretch near Khandala tunnel in the Khambatki ghat section, about 70km from here, on the Pune-Bengaluru national highway around 4.45am on Tuesday.
All the victims hailed from Bijapur district of Karnataka and were on their way to Bhor near Pune for some digging work commissioned by the state forest department, the Satara police said.
The speeding tempo was negotiating a sharp turn after exiting the tunnel when the driver lost control of the vehicle, which first dashed against a metal barrier and then crashed into the four-foot high retaining wall. The tempo was going at such speed that it jumped over the wall and turned on its side.
The victims, who were seated in the rear carriage, were either thrown out of the vehicle or were trapped under the carriage. The dead included the tempo driver and his son.
The condition of some of the injured, who were admitted to various hospitals in Khandala and Shirwal near Satara, was reported as critical.
The Khandala tunnel was built through the Khambatki mountain pass in neighbouring Satara district on the Pune-Kolhapur stretch, which is part of the National Highway 4 that goes to Bengaluru. It is used by traffic coming to Pune from Kolhapur. The entire stretch is controlled and maintained by the National Highways Authority of India.
Vehicles emerging from the tunnel have to negotiate the 'S' shaped stretch which has a steep gradient and has been a cause of frequent accidents. Often, vehicle users fail to anticipate the sharp turn soon after emerging from the tunnel and end up losing control over the wheel. Road safety experts have often raised concerns over the faulty design of the stretch and have sought corrective measures.
The scene at the accident site was horrifying with blood and flesh lying strewn around the tempo. The injured trapped under the carriage were screaming for help. Labour equipment, foodgrains, luggage and tent material were scattered everywhere at the site. Some travellers, who witnessed the accident, alerted the Satara police. Before the police reached the spot, people from nearby villages began the rescue operation. Senior officials including Satara superintendent of police Sandip Patil, assistant superintendent of police Vijay Pawar and Khandala assistant police inspector Yuvraj Hande rushed to the spot.
Tempo was carrying 37 people
Khandala assistant police inspector Yuvraj Hande told TOI that the labour contractor, Vitthal Rathod (40), of Bijapur had bagged the contract from the forest department to dig trenches in Bhor. "The labourers and their families, comprising 34 people from different localities in Bijapur, were travelling to Bhor along with Rathod. Along with driver Mehboob Rajsaab Attar and his son, there were 37 people in the vehicle," he said.
Hande said the tempo left Bijapur around 6pm on Monday. "The vehicle was loaded with digging equipment, foodgrains, luggage, tents and a few goats. The group had taken a tea break at Vele village near Wai in Satara district, which is about 20km from the accident site, in the early hours of Tuesday," he said.
Hande said that four members of the group, who were initially following the tempo on two motorcycles before overtaking it and moving ahead after the tea break, did not know about the accident. "One of the injured labourers informed them about the accident, following which they turned back. The four persons ascertained the identities of the victims," he added.
Tempo driver was in a hurry
An injured labourer told the police that driver Attar had taken along his son, Majid (25), to take over the wheel if he felt tired. "Majid was driving the tempo slowly and safely but Attar took over the wheel saying they would take a long time to reach Bhor at that pace," a senior officer from the highway safety patrol said, while quoting one of the victims.
The officer said Attar also told Majid that they had to get back to Bijapur on Tuesday itself as the tempo had been booked to carry another consignment on Wednesday.