Nashik tragedy: car plunges into open well, six children among nine members of one family killed

Nine members of a family, including six children, were killed after their car fell into an open well in Maharashtra's Nashik district, according to the police.

The accident occurred in the Shivaji Nagar area of Dindori town around 10 p.m. on Friday, 3 April, an official said.

Expressing grief over the deaths chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said he has ordered an immediate safety audit of open wells in public areas.

According to the police, the victims were returning home after attending a function at a banquet hall in the area when their car fell into a well on the roadside near the venue.

Personnel from the local police and emergency services arrived at the scene and retrieved the car and its occupants with the help of two cranes and swimmers around midnight.

The deceased were identified as Sunil Dattu Dargude (32), his wife Reshma, Asha Anil Dargude (32), and six children from the family, including five girls in the age group of 7 to 14 years and an 11-year-old boy.

State Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan visited the accident spot and said the administration has been directed to close the well. The government will provide assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of the deceased persons, he added.

The Nashik collector has been asked to probe the incident and submit an inquiry report, he said. Preliminary information indicated that the well had a low boundary wall and was in the middle of a frequently accessed area, he said.

(With agency inputs)