By Avni Arya

Copyright timesnownews

Pune: A late-night outing turned tragic for four college friends when their car crashed into a container truck on the Mumbai–Bengaluru Highway early on Thursday. Two of the students, both 20 years old, lost their lives on the spot, while the other two sustained injuries. The accident occurred around 5.45 am near Eidgah Maidan, close to Dehu Road, as the students were returning to Pune after a trip to the Lonavala hill station. According to Dehu Road police, the car rammed into the container truck from behind. Those who died have been identified as Divya Raj Singh Rathod (20) and Siddhant Anand Shekhar (20). Both were pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree at Symbiosis College. Their friends, Harsh Mishra (21) and Nihar Tamboli (20), also BBA students, suffered minor injuries and are currently undergoing treatment in hospital. “Due to the impact of the collision, Rathod and Shekhar died on the spot,” said an officer from Dehu Road police station. “The injured have been admitted to hospital, and they are out of danger.” Police have taken the truck driver, Manish Kumar Suraj Manipal (39), a resident of Wadala in Mumbai, into custody. Further investigations are underway to determine the sequence of events that led to the crash. The four friends had gone to Lonavala for a casual outing — a popular weekend escape for students and youngsters in Pune. What was meant to be a night of fun and laughter ended in tragedy on their journey home. (With inputs from PTI)