5 friends killed in Palghar car crash: Driver was at fault say cops

All victims killed in accident were friends; police say driver of Volkswagen was at fault as he was speeding

The car that crashed into a banyan tree. Pic/Hanif Patel

Five youths were killed in an accident on the Mahim Palghar Road after their car smashed into a banyan tree in the wee hours today. According to the police, the accident took place at Patilwadi in Palghar where the driver of a Volkswagen car lost control and hit the tree on the highway.

Also read - Mumbai: Tree falls on a luxury car in Bandra, no one injured

The victims have been identified as Nikesh Tamore, 25, resident of Tarapur Ghivali; Kiran Pagdhare, 30, resident of Vadarai; Santosh Bahiram, 37, resident of Khanpada; Dipesh Pagdhare, 25, resident of Satpati and Viraj Vetal, 25, resident of Palghar. Of the five, Vetal is the owner of the car and was at the wheel. Sources said he was also a young businessman and owner of Viraj Transport in Palghar.

Locals had gathered at the site soon after the accident. A JCB had to be called in to pry the car out of the tree. Pics/Hanif Patel

According to a source, "There was a very loud sound like that of a blast around 3 am today, but when we went towards the source of the sound, we discovered it was an accident.

Eyewitnesses said the driver was moving are very high speed and lost control of the car before crashing into the tree." Mansing Patil, investigating officer from Satpati police station said, "We have taken down an Accidental death record (ADR) and prima facie it seems like it was negligence on the part of the driver who caused the accident because of speeding."

The driver of the speeding car rammed into a tree after losing control

"All the deceased were friends who had gone for some personal work and were returning home. Soon after the accident, we took them to the local hospital, where they were officially declared dead," Patil said.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai, National and International news here

Download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get updates on all the latest and trending stories on the go

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!