A religious pilgrimage turned into an unimaginable tragedy in Maharashtra's Solapur district after a pickup vehicle carrying devotees plunged into a roadside well near Tandulwadi village in Pandharpur taluka, claiming the lives of eight people, including a six-month-old infant.
The incident occurred on Sunday when 14 devotees were returning home after offering prayers at the Siddhanath Temple in Mhaswad, Satara district. According to preliminary information, the driver lost control of the vehicle on the Mhaswad-Pandharpur route in Malshiras taluka, causing the pickup to veer off the road and fall into a deep, water-filled well.
While six passengers were rescued, eight others drowned in the horrific accident. A video from the accident site has since surfaced on social media, capturing the frantic rescue efforts and leaving people across Maharashtra shocked and grief-stricken.
Among the victims was a six-month-old baby boy, whose family had undertaken the pilgrimage seeking divine blessings for his recovery. According to relatives, the child had been suffering from recurring health issues since birth and had recently undergone month-long treatment at a private hospital in Miraj.
The family, residents of Vivekanand Nagar in the Isbavi-Wakhari area, had been visiting several
religious places over the past few months, including Tuljapur, Ganagapur and Pandharpur, praying for the infant's well-being.
With the holy month of Adhik Maas nearing its end and Sunday marking Amavasya, the family decided to visit the Shri Siddhanath and Mata Jogeshwari Temple in Mhaswad. Their maternal relatives also joined the trip.
The group left Pandharpur at around 10 am and first visited Gondavale, where they offered prayers at the shrine of Gondavalekar Maharaj. After reaching Mhaswad and completing darshan at the Siddhanath Temple, the family clicked photographs together and shared them on social media before beginning their return journey at around 4 pm.
On the journey back, they safely reached Tandulwadi village and even contacted relatives to let them know they would soon be home. However, within minutes, tragedy struck as their vehicle plunged into the well.
Local residents rushed to the spot and launched rescue operations. Eyewitnesses said rescuers had to tear through the tarpaulin covering the pickup vehicle to pull out the trapped passengers. The damaged vehicle was later retrieved from the well using a crane.
The injured and deceased were shifted to the Sub-District Hospital in Pandharpur. Emotional scenes unfolded at the hospital as distraught relatives gathered to identify the victims.
According to officials, six members of the Bawche family and two of their relatives lost their lives in the accident.
Among those who survived were brothers Sandeep and Balaji Bawche, Balaji's two-year-old daughter Jiya, two-and-a-half-year-old Aarav, driver Sagar Chougule and Shashikala Popat Jadhav.
Police have initiated an investigation into the incident to ascertain the exact cause of the accident.
