Pune: Drunk truck driver mows down footpath dwellers; 3 dead
What's the story
A drunk driver rammed his dumper truck into a group of people sleeping on a footpath in Pune's Wagholi. The incident happened around 12:30am on Monday and claimed three lives. The deceased have been identified as Vaibhavi Pawar (1), Vaibhav Pawar (2), and Vishal Pawar (22). Six others were also injured in the unfortunate accident and are undergoing treatment at Sassoon General Hospital.
Investigation underway
Driver arrested, victims were migrant laborers
Reportedly, the truck's driver was drunk at the time of the incident. This was confirmed by Deputy Commissioner of Police Zone 4, Himmat Jadhav. The driver has been arrested under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act for further investigation. A senior police official revealed that "many people were sleeping on the footpath near Kesnand Phata area, most of them laborers." They had reportedly come from Maharashtra's Amravati to work at local construction sites.
Unrelated accident
Separate incident in Mumbai claims life of 4-year-old
In a separate but equally tragic incident in Mumbai, a four-year-old boy lost his life after a car hit him in Wadala. The 19-year-old driver was reversing when the accident happened. Unlike the Pune incident, authorities confirmed this driver was likely sober at the time of the accident. These incidents come days after another tragedy where a BEST bus in Mumbai's Kurla area rammed into pedestrians and vehicles, killing nine and injuring many.