In a tragic incident, a speeding dump truck crushed two toddlers and a man to death and left six others seriously injured in Wagholi near Pune early on Monday. The accident occurred around 1 am near Kesnand Phata when the vehicle veered onto the footpath and mowed down nine pavement dwellers who were sleeping in makeshift huts, police said. The victims were identified as one-year-old Vaibhavi Ritesh Pawar, her two-year-old brother Vaibhav Ritesh Pawar and 30-year-old Rinesh N. Pawar. All three were sleeping side by side when the dump truck, reportedly owned by Buildwell Enterprises, ran over them. The six injured persons, whose condition remains critical, were taken to Sassoon Hospital for treatment.
The driver is allegedly drunk
Preliminary investigations indicate that the dumper driver was allegedly drunk and lost control of the vehicle while traveling from Pune to Wagholi. Authorities are investigating further to determine the cause of the accident. Locals reported that the victims were part of a group of laborers who had arrived from Amravati just a day earlier to work at nearby construction sites.
Eyewitnesses described the scene of the accident as a grim and chaotic scene, with bodies of the victims, bloodstains and workers’ scattered belongings scattered across the area. “It looked like a war zone,” said a local resident who rushed to help. Social media platforms were flooded with outrage over the incident, with calls for stricter enforcement of road safety laws and accountability for careless driving.
Police officers reached the spot soon after the accident, moved the damaged dumper and completed formalities to clear the area. An official statement confirmed that an investigation has been launched to determine the exact sequence of events.
