CANACONA
Tragedy struck a group of youth from Mumbai barely around 24 hours into their holiday in Goa, after their rent-a-car hit an oncoming tanker and went off the NH66 at the accident-prone Karmalghat, killing one person and seriously injuring four others on Monday evening.
Canacona police has identified the decased as Arun Gandhi (19) who died on the spot, while the seriously injured at Neil Patva (19), Amey Jatre (19), Siya Chordiya (29) and Setavi Lodha (20).
According to sources, the five youth, three males and two females, from Andheri-Mumbai had arrived in the State on Sunday, and had taken a rent-a-car.
The group were on their way back towards Margao.
As the car was ascending and negotiating the sharp curve at the Karmalghat, an oncoming oil tanker descending the slope had already reached the narrow and treacherous sharp-turn at the ghat.
The car reportedly hit a bracket near the rear tyre of the tanker and veered towards its left. With the crash-barriers already broken due to previous accidents, the car plunged off the highway.
All occupants in the car were trapped inside the vehicle, as some passers-by dialled police for assistance.
While all five youth were pulled out, paramedics in the ambulance found one of them with no signs of life. The other four were found seriously injured and were lifted into the ambulance.They were taken to the Canacona CHC and were later shifted to the District Hospital, Margao.
Canacona police led by Canacona PI Chandrakant Gawas conducted the panchanama and detained the truck driver.
This is the second major accident on the narrow stretch of the NH66 between Gulem and Karmalghat, after a couple were killed after their two-wheeler being knocked down by an inter-state Bus at Gulem on April 25.
