In a tragic accident, a car carrying devotees to Tuljabhavani Temple in Tuljapur collided head-on with a Maharashtra State Transport bus at around 11 AM on Sunday in Maharashtra's Beed district, leaving five people dead.

While five occupants died on the spot, one was seriously injured. According to preliminary information, the accident occurred near the Majalgaon-Telgaon road on the Majalgaon-Khamgaon-Pandharpur National Highway.

The impact of the collision was so severe that the car was completely destroyed. All the deceased were reportedly residents of Majalgaon town and its surrounding areas.

Upon receiving information about the incident, police immediately arrived at the scene and transported the injured to a nearby hospital for treatment. The police have launched an investigation into the matter. The dead bodies were sent for post-mortem examination.

Meanwhile, residents have expressed deep anguish over the incident. They have alleged that the poor condition of the road contributed to the accident, demanding that a case of culpable negligence be filed against the contractor responsible for the road construction.

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In a separate incident in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, 18 people died while 30 others were injured after a speeding truck, loaded with paddy, lost control while descending a steep slope and ran over them near Sheetla Mata Mandir. The victims included women, children, on-duty cops and local shopkeepers. The accident took place at around 1:30 AM on Sunday. Madhya Pradesh CM Mohan Yadav has suspended eight police personnel and removed the CSP.   

In a post on X, Yadav said instructions had been issued to take action against the personnel and conduct a detailed investigation to fix responsibility.

ALSO READ: 18 Killed, 30 Injured After A Truck Crashed Into Devotees Near Gwalior's Sheetla Mata Mandir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the deaths and announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) to the next of kin of each deceased person and Rs 50,000 for each injured person.