Nine members of a family, including six children, died when their car plunged into a water-filled well in Maharashtra’s Nashik district late Friday night.
The accident occurred around 11:30 pm in Dindori taluka, about 40 km from Nashik. The family from Indore village had attended an annual function at a banquet hall in Shivajinagar. Sunil Dattatreya Dargode, 34, drove the car back home when he lost control. The vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a nearby well filled with water.
Emergency teams rushed to the spot. Police, fire brigade, disaster management units and later the NDRF joined the rescue. The water-filled well hampered operations, forcing crews to use cranes to pull the car out. Nine bodies were recovered, while a separate search began for another girl thrown out of the vehicle.
The victims included Sunil, his wife Reshma, their daughter Rakhi alias Gunvanti, nieces Madhuri and Shravani, Asha Anil Dargode, her son Shreyash, daughter Srishti, and niece Samruddhi. Witnesses described heartbreaking scenes as rescuers pulled out children still dressed in costumes from the function.
Police registered a case and launched an investigation. Initial findings suggest the driver lost control of the vehicle. Authorities continue to probe the circumstances.
