Mumbai: 6 dead after overloaded taxi topples on Eastern Freeway

Six members of a family, including two children, were on Saturday killed and three others injured as their speeding vehicle hit the railing at Wadi Bunder on the Eastern Freeway in Mumbai, police said.

The accident took place around 9.15am, when nine members of the Gujarat-based family were headed to Mumbadevi temple in south Mumbai in a taxi.

The deceased were identified as Harkesh Verma (45), Rajshree Verma (35), Anara Verma (35), Ragini Verma (20), Asha Verma (12) and Rajkumar Verma (8), police said.

"Harkesh Verma, his wife Rajshri and three children -- Ragini, Ravi (14) and Vinay (21), who reside in Surat, had come to Mumbai to stay with Harkesh's brother-in-law Mangru Verma's family for Diwali vacation," a senior official of Dongri police station said.

Mangru (35), who is a taxi driver, stays at a chawl in Wadala with his wife Anara and their two children -- Rajkumar and Asha.

"Harkesh and Mangru's family members left for Mumbadevi temple around 8.50 am. All of them had squeezed themselves into the taxi, which was being driven by Mangru," he said.

Harkesh and Ravi were sitting on the front seats, while six others had squeezed themselves on the back seat.

"The cab had reached the south-bound arm of the Freeway at Wadi Bunder when the driver lost control over the vehicle and hit the roadside railing and a pole," the police official said.

"The impact was so severe that Rajshri and Anara were thrown out of the cab and died on the spot due to grievous head injuries," he said.

Rest all were later pulled out of the vehicle by police. The accident severely hit the morning peak hour traffic on the Freeway. Police later removed the mangled taxi from the spot.

While Vinay and Ravi suffered minor fractures in the accident, Mangru is said to be critical condition, according to the police.

The police official said the taxi will be examined by the RTO and a case was being registered.

The data compiled by traffic police says that as many as 374 people have died, while 1,871 people were seriously injured in road accidents registered in the megapolis till September this year.

Photograph: PTI Photo