15 injured in two road accidents in Latur district

Latur, Jun 5 (PTI) As many as 15 persons were injured in two separate road accidents, one of them involving a state transport bus, in Latur district of central Maharashtra, police said on Thursday.
A Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus, travelling from Karad in western Maharashtra's Satara district to Latur, overturned near Ramegaon Phata at around 8 pm on Wednesday.
Of the 70 passengers onboard, 13 sustained minor injuries in the accident which took place when the bus was just 15 kms away from its destination Latur, a police official said.
The accident occurred on a narrow and slippery stretch of road, where ongoing roadwork and lack of warning signs made navigation difficult. The bus overturned gently due to a soft roadside patch, reducing the severity of the impact, he said.
Locals rushed to the spot and helped pull passengers out of the overturned bus. Emergency services were alerted, and two ambulances reached the site promptly. The injured were shifted to Latur Government Hospital for treatment, according to police.
"I had slowed down due to ongoing roadwork, but it was hard to judge the road in the dark. With no signage, the bus slipped and overturned," said bus driver Sadanand Maroti Londhe.
"There was a loud crash. I was seated just behind the driver and had no idea what was happening. Everyone screamed in panic. Some locals broke the glass windows and pulled us out," said Payal Kathare, a passenger from Latur.
In another accident which took place near Tembi village under Ausa tehsil at around 7 pm on Wednesday, a speeding car crashed into a parked motorcycle, leaving two men critically injured, police said.
Aslam Munirali Sayyed (40) and Nizamuddin Yusuf Shaikh, residents of Ausa, were riding a motorcycle and on reaching near a place of worship, they stopped at the roadside due to sudden rain, they said.
In the meantime, a car approaching at high speed rammed into their motorbike. The impact was so severe that both men were dragged a considerable distance along with the vehicle, said police.
The victims were initially treated at a local hospital in Ausa and later shifted to Latur city for advanced medical care. Sayyed sustained serious injuries to his head and leg, while Shaikh suffered major wounds to his neck, head, legs, and arms, their relatives said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)