Nagpur, India: A tragic accident unfolded on the Samruddhi Highway near the 320 channel of the Mumbai corridor in Sindkhed Raja Tehsil on Sunday night. One woman tragically lost her life, while four others sustained serious injuries when their car overturned after the driver reportedly fell asleep.

The five victims, residents of Vadgaon Kolhati in Sambhajinagar district, had just finished their trip to Prayagraj for the Mahakumbh and were on their way back home. As their car approached the 320 channel, 27-year-old driver Akshay Bhagwan Narle lost control of the vehicle after drifting off to sleep. The car collided with a side railing and flipped twice.

In the accident, 45-year-old Rupali Bhagwan Narle was killed instantly, while Bhagwat Devidas Narle (55), Sanjay Khandoba Pawar (65), and Mangala Sanjay Pawar (60) were seriously injured. Upon being alerted, the highway police arrived at the scene and promptly took the injured to a rural hospital for medical treatment.

The accident caused a traffic bottleneck on the highway, but the authorities managed to clear the wreckage with the help of a crane, restoring normal traffic flow.

The incident has shocked the local community, and investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.