At least six people were killed and four injured in a severe collision between two cars on the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway, also known as Samruddhi Mahamarg, near Kadwanchi village in Jalna district, approximately 400 km from Mumbai, on Thursday night.

The accident occurred around 11 pm when a Swift Dzire entered the highway from the wrong side after refueling and collided with an Ertiga on its way to Mumbai from Nagpur. The impact of the crash was so intense that the Ertiga was hurled into the air and landed on the highway barricade, ejecting passengers onto the road. The Swift Dzire turned into a mangled heap of metal.

Six people died instantly, and disturbing visuals showed bodies lying in a pool of blood on the highway. The Samruddhi Highway Police and Jalna Police responded quickly to the scene. A crane was used to remove the wrecked vehicles, and the injured were taken to the district hospital for treatment.

The Samruddhi Mahamarg is a partially operational six-lane, 701-km-long access-controlled expressway in Maharashtra. It is one of the country’s longest greenfield road projects, connecting Mumbai with Nagpur, which happens to be Maharashtra third-biggest city.