9 killed, 5 hurt as SUV rams into container

Kolhapur: Nine people were killed while five others sustained injuries after the SUV they were travelling in collided with a container on Vijapur-Sindgi road early on Friday.

The injured have been shifted to a government hospital in Sindgi and are their condition is said to be critical. The occupants of the car were returning from Goa after celebrating Holi.

The deceased have been identified as Shrinath Nalwar, Sagar Doddamani, Chandbadshah Mujawar, Amrish Dore, Yunus Kadbur, Azim Shaikh, Shakir Shaikh, Gururaj Hakim and Masof Kadbur.

The injured have been identified as Aakash Dore, Malikkarjun Jamadar, Manzoor Kadbur and Saddam — all of them are resident of Chittapur in Gulbarga district of Karnataka. “The identity of one of the injured is yet to be ascertained. There were 14 people travelling in the vehicle,” a police officer said.

“The speeding SUV collided head-on with the container near Chik Sindgi village. Local residents carried out the rescue work before fire brigade and police rushed to the spot. Traffic on the road was stopped by the police till the rescue work was completed. All the passengers were stuck under the SUV which made the rescue work difficult. The rescue work was completed by 10am and till them traffic was diverted to alternate routes,” he added.