9 killed, including 2 schoolchildren, as truck rams vehicles in Dhule district of Maharashtra

Mumbai: Nine people were killed and 25 injured when a container truck rammed two vehicles, lost control, and then crashed into a wayside dhaba and bus stop in Dhule, district of Maharashtra, an official said here on Tuesday.

Police Inspector Suresh Shirsat of the local police station said that the accident occurred near Palasner village in the afternoon when the truck loaded with a cement consignment suffered a brake failure and lost control.

Owing to the impact, the truck veered wildly on the road, banged into two cars parked outside the dhaba, and then crashed directly inside the eatery near the bus stop on the highway.

Two minor schoolchildren are among the victims who were waiting at the bus stop, as are two occupants in the cars that were hit by the truck, said Shirsat.

The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, and the condition of at least three is described as 'critical', he added, and the fatalities could increase.

Further details awaited. (UNI)