A sugarcane-cutting worker was killed and 10 to 12 others were injured when a tractor trolley carrying seasonal labourers overturned near Murti village in Baramati taluka on Thursday evening after two tractors attempted to overtake each other, according to a report by Lokmat citing Wadgaon Nimbalkar police.
The deceased woman was identified as Devkabai Subhash Rathod, 45, a resident of Bildari in Kannad taluka of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district. The accident occurred at about 4.45 pm near Murti village, in the Baramati area of Pune district.
Police said two groups of sugarcane workers from Kannad taluka were travelling by tractor towards the Ajinkyatara sugar factory in Satara district. One tractor reportedly attempted to overtake the tractor ahead of it. During the manoeuvre, the wheel of one tractor became entangled with the trolley attached to the other tractor, causing the trolley to lose balance and overturn on the road.
An estimated 15 to 20 sugarcane workers were travelling in the trolley when it overturned. The accident caused panic among the passengers, and Rathod died at the spot, the report said. The injured workers were taken to hospitals in Baramati for treatment. The report did not provide details of their individual injuries or medical condition.
The incident has again drawn attention to the risks faced by seasonal sugarcane workers while travelling between their home districts and sugar-producing regions. In this case, the workers were travelling from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district towards a sugar factory in Satara district, with the journey involving a tractor and trolley used to move the labour group.
The account provided by police places the immediate cause of the crash during an overtaking attempt involving two tractors. It does not state whether the vehicles were carrying any additional safety equipment, whether the trolley was authorised to transport passengers, or whether any case had been registered against the drivers. The supplied report also does not identify the hospitals where the injured workers were admitted.
The crash occurred as sugarcane-cutting groups were being transported for work at a sugar factory, linking the accident to the wider movement of seasonal labour on rural roads. For the families of the workers, the consequences include one death and multiple injuries, while further details about compensation, police action and the condition of those admitted remain unavailable in the report.
Wadgaon Nimbalkar police are the authority cited in the report. The injured workers remained under treatment at hospitals in Baramati, and further information about the investigation and their medical condition was not provided.
