16 labouers killed, 28 injured as tempo turns turtle near Solapur in Maharashtra

Solapur, Jan.5 (ANI) At least 16 labourers were killed and 28 others injured in a road mishap near Solapur in Maharashtra on Tuesday after a tempo turned turtle as its driver reportedly lost his control over the vehicle.

The incident occurred at around 1.30 a.m. on the Solapur-Akkalkot Road that skirts Karnataka.

Most of passengers in the tempo were trapped under bags of grain and their personal baggage leading to their death.

Residents from the nearby villages rushed to the spot of the accident and tried to rescue the trapped persons. The injured were rushed to the local hospitals.

The Medical Superintendent of the General Hospital at Solapur mentioned that out of the 28 injured victims, 18 were shifted to another hospital.

"In the accident that happened early in the morning, around 44 patients were brought in the hospital. 16 of them died on the spot whereas 28 of them were injured. Out of the 28, 18 were shifted to another hospital," said Dr. Arjun Gujav, Superintendent, General Hospital, Solapur.

According to the police, a majority of the victims hailed from Afzalpur and Ganagapur regions of Karnataka and they were proceeding to work at Pen in Raigad district of Konkan region, around 100 kilometres south of Mumbai along the coast.

Meanwhile, the police have alerted all nearby districts to search for the driver of the ill-fated vehicle who survived and has absconded. (ANI)