Maharashtra: Car carrying Union minister Ramdas Athawale, his wife meets with accident; both unhurt

Ramdas Athawale. File Pic

Union Minister Ramdas Athawale's car was reportedly involved in an accident on Thursday inside the Khambatki tunnel on the Satara-Mumbai highway in Maharashtra due to a pile-up of vehicles, according to the police, reported the PTI.

According to the PTI, the minister and his wife, who were in the car, did not suffer any injuries in the incident that took place around 6 pm, said a police official from Satara.

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The Dalit leader, who heads the Republican Party of India (Athawale), was returning to Mumbai after attending a programme in Panchgani in Satara district at the time, he said, as per the PTI.

A vehicle had a flat tyre inside the tunnel. As the driver attempted to change it, another car rammed into it, triggering a pile-up involving many other trailing vehicles, he said.

Among those caught in the pile-up was Ramdas Athawale's vehicle, along with a police van, the official said, the news agency reported.

There were no reported injuries, and the damage sustained by the minister's car was minor.

Following the accident, the minister and his wife continued their journey to Mumbai, he added.

In an another incident, as many as four girls and two women, who were out for their routine morning walk, sustained injuries after being struck from behind by a sand-laden truck in Jharkhand's Hazaribag district around 6am on Thursday, police said, reported the PTI.

The accident took place in Kheramasih village under Tatijharia police station area, around 130km from Ranchi, police said.

Hazaribag SP Arvind Kumar Singh said two persons, who sustained serious injuries, were referred to Ranchi's Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) for advanced medical care.

The remaining four injured persons are currently receiving treatment at Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College and Hospital in Hazaribag, he added.
Singh said the truck has been impounded and the driver has been taken into custody.

Meanwhile, three people were killed in two separate road accidents here, police said on Thursday, as per the PTI.

Additional Superintendent of Police (East) Manoj Kumar Rawat said two people were travelling on their motorcycle to Balrampur for work on Wednesday evening when a vehicle hit them from behind near the Devtaha village on the Gonda-Balrampur road.

Both the victims were rushed to a community health centre where the doctors declared them brought dead, Rawat said, the news agency reported on Thursday.

(with PTI inputs)