Death toll rises to 7 in Warkari bus mishap on E-way

NAVI MUMBAI: The death toll in the mishap on the Mumbai-Pune expressway after midnight of July 15, between a tractor and luxury bus ferrying Dombivli pilgrims to Pandharpur temple for Aashadhi Ekadashi, has risen to seven. As two more injured pilgrims being treated at MGM hospital, Kamothe have succumbed to their grievous injuries on Sunday.
The two more casualties have been identified as Ganpat Mukadam (65) and Baburao Bhoir (70).
Initially, in the mishap, five persons, including three pilgrims (Warkaris) and two men in the tractor were killed and 44 others in the bus were injured as a luxury bus taking Dombivli pilgrims to Pandharpur temple rear-ended an unauthorised tractor on Mumbai-Pune expressway near Shivkar village in Panvel taluka. The bus had hit the tractor on the inner right lane. The collision sent the bus and tractor hurtling down a 20-foot gorge after breaking the expressway’s metal crash barrier on the left.The bus was carrying 54 pilgrims.