Car with 3 players in it rams into tree near Balewadi on NH-4; third shuttler seriously injured
Car with 3 players in it rams into tree near Balewadi on NH-4; third shuttler seriously injured
Two state-level badminton players died and a third one suffered grievous injuries in an accident near Balewadi stadium on the Mumbai-Pune highway (NH-4) in the wee hours yesterday. The car in which the three were travelling crashed into a tree after the driver lost control over the vehicle. 
Tragic: (From top)u00a0 deceased Sidhhant Ghorpade and Saurabh Paralikar.
The police say they have little information on where Ghorpade,
Paralikar and the injured Devavrat Bhalerao had gone before the
accident or where they were heading
The deceased were identified as Sidhhant Ranjeetsingh Ghorpade (21) and Saurabh Satish Paralikar (24). The injured person was identified as Devavrat Ashish Bhalerao (20). The Pune District Metropolitan Badminton Association (PDMBA) expressed shock after the accident. "Paralikar was a player we had high hopes from. Ghorpade too was a good player and was the runner-up in 2007," said Uday Sane, joint secretary of PDMBA. "Ghorpade's family hailed from Kolhapur and shifted their base to Pune so that he could concentrate more on studies as well as badminton. Devavrat is also a very young player; we are relaxed after doctors informed us that he is out of danger."
Accident details sketchy
Ghorpade's friend Varun Khanwilkar said there were no details yet on what caused the accident. "I came to know about this incident in the morning. No one knows what exactly happened," said Khanwilkar. "We are shocked."
Police Constable M S Ahivale from the Chatuhshrungi police station, under the jurisdiction of which the accident spot falls, said she could not give any more details on the accident or the condition of the injured Bhalerao. "Doctors at Aditya Birla Hospital have not informed us about the injured person's health," said Ahivale. "We do not have any information on where the three had gone prior to the accident or where they were going."
Sources said Ghorpade was driving the car, an Indigo Manza, when it rammed into a tree. The police said the incident took place around 12.45 am. The fire brigade was called to the spot as both Ghorpade and Paralikar were trapped inside the car.
Saibaba Jillewar of the Chatuhshrungi fire brigade said: "When we reached the spot, the police had already removed three of them with the help of JCB." The Indigo Manza (MH-12 F U 7692) was heavily damaged in the accident. Ghorpade and Paralikar were taken to Sassoon hospital, where they were declared dead.u00a0Bhalerao, who was rushed to a nearby hospital, reportedly suffered multiple fractures but was said to be out of danger. The last rites of Ghorpade and Paralikar were conducted at the Vaikuntha crematorium. A large number of badminton players, and relatives and friends of the deceased thronged the crematorium for the funeral.
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