Five persons were killed when their speeding car rammed into a tree on the Western Express Highway on Thursday, an official said.
The accident occurred at 5.45 a.m. opposite the western end of the airport’s main runway near the Milan Flyover, the official said.
The impact of the crash was so grave that the Honda City car climbed up around 10 feet on the roadside tree before sliding off and killing four occupants on the spot, said an official.
The investigators suspect over speeding as a probable cause, however, they have not ruled out the possibility of drunken driving or carelessness of driver as the highway is relatively traffic free during the early hours of the day.
“We have seized the mangled car and are investigating the matter,” he said.
As per preliminary information, the deceased were friends and had planned to go out for a drive. Driver Junaid Soni lost control over the wheels following which the accident occurred, he said.
The process of conducting the panchnama was on after which the bodies will be sent for postmortem.
The autopsy report will make it clear if the driver was under the influence of alcohol, the official said.
Out of the five deceased, four have been identified as – Muzzamil Makhnujia, Muzzamil Mukhtar Kanosiya (22), Rashida Yusuf Sheikh (25) and Junaid Sheikh Soni (22), all residents of Mira Road in neighbouring Thane district, he added.
