18 dead, 15 others injured after truck hits barricade on Maha highway

Mumbai: At least 18 labourers were killed and 15 others injured when a speeding truck overturned in western Maharashtra's Satara district in the early hours on Tuesday, the police said.

The truck, carrying construction labourers from Bijapur district in Karnataka, was going towards Pune when it met with the accident around 4.30 am on Mumbai-Bengaluru highway passing through the district, around 250 km from Mumbai, Satara's Superintendent of Police Sandeep Patil said.

The driver apparently lost control over the wheels at an accident-prone stop near Khambatki ghat. As a result, the vehicle rammed into a barricade and then overturned, he said.

At least 18 labourers died on the spot, while 15 others sustained injuries, he said. On being informed, the Khandala police rushed the spot and took all the victims to a nearby hospital, he said.

The police were trying to ascertain the exact reason of the accident, the official said, adding that they suspect the accident occurred due to the driver's lack of concentration as he had been constantly driving and was deprived of sleep. The bodies were sent for postmortem and the process to identify the deceased was on, the police added.