Pune: 2 Symbiosis Students Dead, 2 Hurt in Early Morning Crash on Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway
Pune: 2 Symbiosis Students Dead, 2 Hurt in Early Morning Crash on Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway
What was supposed to be a regular early morning return journey turned into a devastating accident for four Symbiosis BBA students on Thursday. While heading back to Pune from Lonavala, their car collided with a container truck on the Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway, leaving two of them dead and the other two critically injured.
The crash occurred around 5:45 am near the Eidgah ground on the Pune-bound lane of the highway. The vehicle, a Swift Dzire bearing the registration number MH-14-EH-7503, reportedly rammed into an Eicher container truck (MH-46-BM-3410) in what is being described as a horrific collision.
Those who lost their lives in the accident have been identified as Siddhant Anand Shekhar (22) and Divyaraj Singh Rathod (23). The injured students, Nihal Tamboli (20) and Harshvardhan Mishra (22), were immediately rushed to Lifeline Hospital in Wakad for emergency treatment. The bodies of the deceased have been sent to YCM Hospital in Pimpri for post-mortem.
According to local authorities, the four students were returning from a short trip to Lonavala. Upon receiving a distress call, teams from the Dehu Road Police Station and the PCMC Fire Department reached the site promptly and carried out rescue operations, extracting both the injured and the deceased from the severely damaged car.
Two Symbiosis Students Lost Their Lives, While Two Others Were Injured In An Early Morning Accident On The Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway.
— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) September 18, 2025
🔗 https://t.co/KiNDqqUbf9 #Pune #symbiosisStudents #Accident #FPJ pic.twitter.com/GEw46EOozZ
While the investigation is ongoing, some locals have raised concerns over recently installed road markings and speed control measures on that stretch of the highway. Just two days prior to the accident, white speed-control stripes had been painted at the location. However, citizens claim that these markings may be contributing to accidents rather than preventing them.
“There was a collision between a Swift Dzire and an Eicher container early this morning on the Pune-bound highway near the Eidgah ground. Two young students lost their lives on the spot, while two others are currently under medical care,” said Senior Police Inspector Vikram Bansode from Dehu Road Police Station. “All four individuals were students of Symbiosis and were on their way back from Lonavala. The truck driver, Manish Kumar Suraj Manipaal (39), has been taken into custody, and both vehicles involved have been seized. Further legal procedures are in progress.”
