Among the 16 dead were a senior citizen, a one-year-old infant and a three-year-old boy. The three surviving occupants of the vehicle, which was speeding at over 130 km per hour, are children aged 12 and 13 years. Two of them are critical.

“The incident occurred at 4.05 a.m. after the Bajaj Trax jeep crossed the Shedung toll plaza near Panvel. The Trax jeep was speeding at more than 130 km per hour and didn’t even slow down at the curve on the Expressway. It just rammed into an empty trailer heading to Mumbai and got stuck in it,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Nandkumar Chaugule of the Navi Mumbai police. “The accident was gruesome. The trailer dragged the Trax, which was stuck in its rear portion, 7 km away from the Shedung toll plaza,” he added.

Sheela Gaikwad, in her twenties, was in the jeep that was following the ill-fated one. “The jeep hit the trailer that was ahead. I saw it as it rammed into the trailer with force and got stuck in it,” she sobbed. “Most of the women and children were in that jeep. And the jeep kept moving with the moving trailer, and we kept shouting asking the trailer driver to stop. The driver of our jeep then overtook the trailer and asked the driver to stop.” Sheela lost her maternal aunt Alka Gaikwad (45) in the accident.

Thirteen of the passengers died on the spot, having sustained serious head injuries. Three — driver Nitin Dhumal (25), Shubham Shere (3) and Alka Gaikwad (45) — died hours later in Ashtavinayak Hospital located in Khanda Colony, New Panvel.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone II) Pravin Pawar of the Navi Mumbai police said it was a case of negligence by the jeep driver. “The Trax driver rammed the trailer from behind. The speed indicator indicates that he had crossed the speed of 135 km per hour. We have registered case of negligence and rash driving against him,” said Pawar.