Pune: Atleast 17 persons including three minors were killed, and 15 others injured after the truck they were travelling in met with an accident at Khambatki Ghat in Satara district in the wee hours of Tuesday.
They were labourers and travelling in an Eicher truck from Bijapur district of Karnataka to Shirval MIDC.
After crossing the tunnel on NH4 while coming from Satara, the driver lost control of the vehicle at a sharp turn and hit the railing before it turned upside down.
After getting information, police and local residents rushed to help the injured persons.
Four of them succumbed to their injuries during treatment. The death toll is expected to increase according to the police.
Khambatki Ghat is a mountain pass in Khandala taluka of Satara district on Pune-Kolhapur section of the National Highway 4. Earlier it was only a two lane road and later the tunnel was constructed. There have been several accidents in the Ghat in the past.
