In a devastating road collision in north Goa, a 65-year-old tourist from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, lost his life when a rented Mahindra Thar SUV slammed into his Hyundai i20 hatchback.
The victim, Bhagat Sharma, was on holiday in Goa accompanied by a woman and a five-year-old child, both travelling in the i20. While the woman sustained injuries and the child survived unharmed, Sharma suffered severe head and skull trauma. Eyewitnesses reported that he remained conscious immediately after the impact but later succumbed to his injuries.
Viral video footage from the scene shows the white i20 heavily crushed at the front, with the Thar’s nose pointed directly toward the damaged car. Young occupants in the rear of the Thar appear visibly shaken. In one clip, a young man is heard speaking anxiously on a phone call—presumably to his father—describing the moment: “Papa chauraha tha, main ek side se aa raha tha…and we just crashed.” He then attempts to climb into the driver’s seat to shift the vehicle, only to be stopped by a passerby.
Local resident Myron Fernandes told reporters that the Thar was travelling at high speed through an intersection. He alleged that a woman was initially at the wheel but quickly moved to the passenger seat after the crash, allowing a male member of the group to take the driver’s position—possibly to evade responsibility.
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Emergency response faced criticism for delays: according to witnesses, a private ambulance took more than an hour to reach the site, while a government ambulance arrived approximately 15 minutes later.
Police have filed a case of rash and negligent driving against the Thar’s driver. The rented SUV has been impounded, and authorities are continuing their probe to establish the full sequence of events, including confirmation of who was operating the vehicle at the time of the collision.
