IN a tragic incident, three people lost their lives and three others sustained critical injuries when the car they were travelling in plunged into a roadside canal between Pangaon and Mundipar under Salekasa Tehsil of Maharashtra, bordering Rajnandagon district of Chhattisgarh on Sunday. The victims, all belonging to a Jain family traveling from Satna, Madhya Pradesh, were en route to pay their final respects to the revered Jain monk, Vidya Sagar Maharaj, who passed away on Sunday. The mishap occurred when an Ertiga car (MP-19, CD 6532) carrying six passengers veered out of control near the bordering area under Salekasa police station, plunging into the roadside Pujaritola dam canal on Sunday afternoon. The impact of the crash claimed the lives of three occupants on the spot, while the remaining three were left severely injured.

 

Local police swiftly responded to the scene upon receiving the distress call, initiating rescue efforts to retrieve the deceased and attend to the injured. The deceased have been identified as Ashish Jain, Jitendra Jain and Prashant Narendra Jain. Preliminary investigations by the police indicate that the Jain devotees had embarked on their journey from Satna, intending to visit Dongargarh in Chhattisgarh for the final darshan of Acharya Vidyasagar Maharaj. However, tragedy struck as their car lost control and veered into the Pujaritola Dam canal in Pangaon, located within Salekasa tehsil of Gondia district in Maharashtra. Meanwhile, the injured identified as Vardhman Jain, Anshul Jain and Prashant Prasanna Jain are currently receiving medical treatment in Salekasa Community Health Centre. Police continue their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic incident.