Maharashtra: 6 Killed, 7 Injured After Truck Collides With SUV on Gondia-Balaghat Highway
At least six people, including a three-year-old boy, were killed and seven others injured late Monday night following a head-on collision between a truck and an overcrowded SUV on the Gondia-Balaghat state highway in Maharashtra.
Six people, including a three-year-old boy, were killed and seven others injured after a truck collided head-on with an overcrowded SUV carrying migrant labourers and their families on the Gondia-Balaghat state highway in Maharashtra, police said. The accident occurred late Monday near Nagra village, around 5 km from Gondia city, when the truck rammed into the SUV. The impact caused the truck to topple over, trapping passengers inside the badly damaged vehicle, TOI reported.
Migrant Labourers Were Travelling for Work
Police said the SUV was carrying migrant labourers and their families from Kirnapur and Lanji tehsils in Madhya Pradesh's Balaghat district. They were travelling towards Telangana for work when the accident took place. Solapur Road Accident: 14 Pilgrims, Including Children, Killed After Vehicle Plunges Into Roadside Well (Watch Videos).
The collision occurred at around 11.30 pm near Nagra on the Gondia-Balaghat route. The SUV was carrying more passengers than its capacity, according to the Times of India report.
Truck Topples Over After Collision
The force of the head-on collision caused the truck to overturn onto the damaged SUV, making rescue operations difficult. Police, local residents and emergency personnel rushed to the scene. A crane was brought in to lift the overturned truck, while rescuers used gas cutters and other equipment to pull passengers from the mangled SUV. Maharashtra Road Accident: 8 Dead, 4 Injured After Car Rams Delivery Pick-Up Vehicle on Jejuri-Morgaon Road in Pune (Watch Videos).
The injured and victims were taken to a hospital in Gondia, where six people were declared dead. The seven injured passengers are undergoing treatment.
Three-Year-Old Among Those Killed
The victims included three-year-old Aarush Matre, along with Kiran Vaidya, 26; Santosh Matre, 38; Sushila Matre, 35; Rupsen Satyakar, 35; and his wife Jyoti, 32. The deceased were residents of villages in Balaghat district and were travelling with other labourers and family members in search of work.
CCTV Footage Part of Investigation
Gondia Superintendent of Police Gorakh Bhamre said CCTV footage suggested that the SUV may have drifted onto the wrong side of the road before the collision. According to the police, the SUV driver allegedly attempted to steer away to avoid the truck, but the two vehicles collided head-on. The accident occurred on a partially constructed stretch of road where median dividers were absent, officials said.
Police Probe Underway
Initially, the truck driver was named as an accused in the case. However, following an examination of CCTV footage, police also named the SUV driver as a co-accused. Police have collected blood samples from both drivers as part of the investigation. A case has been registered under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Motor Vehicles Act. The investigation is continuing as police work to determine the exact circumstances that led to the fatal collision on the Gondia-Balaghat highway.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 09, 2026 11:55 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
