Nanded district: Head-on crash at Sitakhandi ghat claims six lives
Nanded, Maharashtra — At least six people were killed and eight others critically injured after a passenger van collided head-on with a truck on the Nanded–Bhokar road on Thursday evening, police said.
The collision occurred at around 7 pm near Sitakhandi ghat, a police official reported. The vehicle involved was a Tata Magic passenger van that was travelling from Nanded towards Bhokar when it struck an oncoming truck, according to the initial police account.
Local residents were the first to respond at the scene. Several passengers were trapped as the van was badly mangled in the impact; villagers and passers-by helped extricate victims from the wreckage, and the injured were rushed to nearby hospitals for emergency care before official teams arrived.
- Fatalities identified: Five of the deceased were named as Pandurang Waghmare, Laxmibai Waghmare, Syed Altamash, Shaikh Feroz and Balwan Pawar; the sixth deceased had not been identified immediately, police said.
- Injuries: Eight passengers sustained serious injuries; officials described some cases as critical and said they were receiving treatment at local hospitals.
- Location: Sitakhandi ghat on the Nanded–Bhokar road, approximately within district limits of Nanded.
Police reached the crash site soon after the incident and began preliminary inquiries into the circumstances that led to the head-on collision. The mangled condition of the passenger van underlined the severity of the impact, officers said.
"The van was en route from Nanded towards Bhokar and collided with an oncoming truck near Sitakhandi ghat at around 7 pm," a police official said in the initial report.
Medical response and ongoing checks
Those injured were shifted to nearby hospitals, where doctors described several cases as critical. Authorities have not yet released comprehensive details on the condition of each patient or on their identities beyond the five named deceased.
Police said they have begun examining evidence at the scene as part of the accident inquiry — including the point of impact and vehicle positions — and will seek statements from surviving passengers, the truck driver and local witnesses. No cause has been officially confirmed at this stage; investigations will consider possible factors such as speed, visibility on the ghat road and vehicle condition.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Time of accident | Around 7 pm |
| Location | Sitakhandi ghat, Nanded–Bhokar road |
| Vehicles involved | Tata Magic passenger van and an oncoming truck |
| Casualties | 6 dead, 8 critically injured |
Central aid announced for victims
Following the crash, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief and announced financial assistance from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), as reported. The PM announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the next of kin of each person who died, and ₹50,000 for each injured person, the statement said.
The announcement may provide some immediate relief to affected families in Nanded, though the county’s authorities will still need to support transport of bodies, medical care and investigations into the cause of the crash.
Local residents and civic representatives in Nanded said ghat stretches on district roads require sustained attention for safety — narrower carriageways, blind curves and heavy vehicle movement have previously contributed to serious accidents in the region. Authorities have not yet signalled additional road-safety measures specific to the Sitakhandi ghat following this crash.
Police continue to gather evidence and complete formal records. Further updates, including identity confirmation of the sixth deceased and the condition of the injured, were awaited from hospital and police officials.
