PUNE: Four women warkaris(devotees of Lord Vitthal) were killed while 20 others sustained injuries after a speeding pick-up truck hit them at Sategaon, near Kamshet, on the old Pune-Mumbai highway at 6.15 am on Saturday.
According to Vadgaon Maval police, six warkaris are critical.
The warkaris were walking down towards Alandi from Khalapur when the accident took place. The pick-up truck entered the warkari procession and went on knocking them down.
The police said that the pick-up truck's driver lost control over the wheel and hit the warkaris.
Additional superintendent Mitesh Ghatte of Pune rural police told TOI, "We have detained the pick-up truck driver. He was driving continuously without any sleep in the night which led to the accident. He was drowsy at the time of accident".
Ghatte said, "Some warkaris were walking while some were sitting in a tractor-trolley which was part of the group. Around 200 warkaris, from Beed and Konkan, were there. Majority of the warkaris were women".
Ghatte said, "At first, the pick-up truck hit the trolley and then hit the warkaris at a high speed".
Police took the injured warkaris to the hospitals located at Somatne Phata, Kamshet and Kanhe.
Police immediately contacted the relatives of the injured and deceased persons. The cops were establishing the identities of the deceased women.
