11 killed after van collides with cement mixer on bridge in Maharashtra

Eleven people were killed and two others were injured after a van hit a cement mixer coming from the opposite direction on a bridge in Maharashtra's Thane district on Monday, police said.

The accident occurred around 10:45 am on the Raita bridge in Murbad, when a van travelling from Kalyan towards Murbad crashed into a cement mixer coming from the opposite direction.

The impact of the collision was severe, badly damaging both vehicles.

Officials said the van was carrying multiple passengers at the time of the crash. Eight men and three women died in the accident, while the injured were rushed to a hospital in Ulhasnagar in a critical condition, Murbad tehsildar Abhijit Deshmukh told PTI.

Six of the victims have been identified so far, while efforts are underway to establish the identity of the remaining ones, a senior police official said.

Following the accident, traffic on the Kalyan-Ahilyanagar route was disrupted for several hours before being cleared, he added.

Police and local residents carried out rescue operations at the site and an investigation is underway.