Seven out of eight friends from Vile Parle who were headed to Goa were killed on february 8 in an accident at Ratnagiri. The accident occurred around 8 am. All pics/Datta Kumbhar
The seven who lost their lives are Prashant Gurav (31), Sachin Sawant (31), Mayur Belnekar (28), Kedar Todkar (26), Akshay Kelkar (24), Nihal Kotiyan (22), Vaibhav Manve (32).
While seven of them were pronounced dead at the Civil Hospital in Ratnagiri, Kambli is said to have sustained grievous injuries. The group was to return on Sunday. Efforts to shift Kambli to Sion Hospital were underway last night.
'Losing 7 people of the same locality is not a joke. We were all disheartened to see what happened. We are here to just give our condolences,' said Swapnil Patil, 34, a Vidyavihar resident who attended the funeral.
It was the heartbroken relatives who were inconsolable and were weeping for their great loss as the bodies was brought to the Parsiwada Smashan Bhoomi at around 10 pm.
Anil Vibhute, senior inspector of Gramin police station in Ratnagiri, said it's suspected that the driver, Gurav, fell asleep while speeding and drove into a tree. So mangled was the wreckage that two cranes, besides locals, had to be deployed to retrieve the bodies.
The youths were also part of a group, Lakshya Foundation, which has been taking people on annual trips to Shirdi at nominal rates for the last five years. Beside their jobs, they worked for the underprivileged, such as volunteering at health camps, and took senior citizens on Shirdi trips for as less as Rs 110 per person.
Mayur Belnekar ran a vada pav stall. Prashant Gurav was a make-up artist and Akshay Kerkar a freelance make up artist. Kedar Todkar was job hunting, while Vaibhav Manve was an LIC agent. Nihal Kotian worked with Reliance Metro and Sachin Sawant was an accountant at transport and logistics company Maersk. Kambli is a student of Sathaye College in Vile Parle East.
Mayur Belnekar ran a vada pav stall. Prashant Gurav was a make-up artist and Akshay Kerkar a freelance make up artist. Kedar Todkar was job hunting, while Vaibhav Manve was an LIC agent. Nihal Kotian worked with Reliance Metro and Sachin Sawant was an accountant at transport and logistics company Maersk. Kambli is a student of Sathaye College in Vile Parle East.
The friends, who are also Shiv Sena supporters and workers, had set off for a bit of fun before immersing themselves in the party's campaigning work for the BMC election.
The friends, who are also Shiv Sena supporters and workers, had set off for a bit of fun before immersing themselves in the party's campaigning work for the BMC election.
Prashant Gurav's family was in the midst of wedding preparations when news of the tragedy broke. His sister was to get married on February 12. He was also planning his marriage with his long-time girlfriend. (In pic) Prashant Gurav's sister Pranali fainted of shock. Pic/ Sayyed Sameer Abedi
The accident happened when they reached Khanu in Ratnagiri, the driver of the car lost control and hit a tree by the roadside. (In pic) Vaibhav Manve's family bid a teary adieu to their brother and son
'My son died because they were trying to save a person coming towards them on a cycle,' wailed Pandu Todkar, Kedar Todkar's father. 'Kedar was an extremely nice boy who wanted to achieve big in life. Now, it's been cut short.' (in pic) Kedar Todkar's father mourned his son. Pic/ Sayyed Sameer Abedi
(in pic) Vaibhav Manve's family is inconsolable at his funeral at Vile Parle. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
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