4 killed as metal hoarding crashes on traffic in Pune

Pune (Maharashtra) : In a freak accident, at least four persons were killed and another 11 injured when a massive metal hoarding crashed on them at a busy five-road junction here on Friday afternoon, officials said.

Several vehicles including private and public were crushed or badly damaged by the impact of the falling hoarding on the Shahir Amar Shaikh Road, Juna Bazar Chowk, near the Pune RTO office.

The injured have been rushed to the Sassoon Hospital where the condition of six victims was described as critical.

Those who died have been identified as Bhimrao Kasar, 70, Javed M. Khan, 49, Shyamrao Dhotre, 48 and Shivaji D. Pardesi, 40.

In a double-tragedy, one of the victims, Pardesi, an autorickshaw driver, was returning home with his children after completing the ashes immersion ceremonies of his wife who died yesterday.

While he was killed in the hoarding crash, his two minor children are admitted to a hospital with serious injuries.

According to locals and eye-witnesses, the hoarding, reportedly illegal and put up on railway property, was declared dangerous some time ago and complaints had been sent to the Railways and Pune Municipal Corporation demanding its removal.

The incident occurred on Friday when it was in the process of being dismantled, but it suddenly crashed right on top of a two-wheeler, a car, half a dozen autorickshaws and some pedestrians who had halted at the busy five-road junction's traffic signal.