Driver & cleaner killed as front bus axle breaks away

Kolhapur: A driver and cleaner of a private travel bus carrying 25 passengers from Mumbai to Tasgaon were killed, after the vehicle’s front axle allegedly snapped on the Ghogaon stretch of the Karad-Tasgaon road around 4.20am on Tuesday.Police identified the deceased driver as Prashuram Laxman Male (25) and the cleaner as Shivappa Annappa Paymalle (26) of Shirgaon in Karnataka’s Chikodi taluka. “They were thrown under the bus during the accident and died on the spot. They were distant cousins,” the police said.Activist Dipak Lad raised concerns over the safety conditions on the concreted highway. He said that the lack of railings, reflectors and other protective measures made driving hazardous.Meanwhile, the police have launched an investigation to determine if the accident was caused by a mechanical failure or the poor condition of roads.