DHARWAD: Seven of a family, including three children, from Dharwad were killed on the spot after their SUV rammed a tree on the Pune-Bengaluru Highway near Kashil, in Satara district of Maharashtra early on Wednesday.
According to family sources, the victims were heading to Mumbai airport. They were to fly to Saudi Arabia for a Haj pilgrimage at 4 am on Thursday. The family left Dharwad at 8.30pm on Tuesday.
Ilahi Betageri, a relative of the victims, identified the deceased as - Nizamuddin Soudagar (63), Shafura Begum (58), Mansuf Ali (38), Nafisa Banu (34), Aksa (7), Taiba (5) and Mohammed Ahmed (3) — all residents of Madihal.
The driver, Shabaz, survived the accident but sustained severe injuries. According to police, the driver lost control of the vehicle. Nizamuddin Soudagar has five children — three sons and two daughters. He was living with his youngest son, Mansuf, a florist, in Madihal.