PUNE, June 15 -- Eight members of a family, including four children, were killed and eight others were rescued on Sunday, after the pickup tempo they were travelling in veered off the Satara-Pandharpur Road and plunged into a roadside reservoir in Maharashtra's Solapur district. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident and announced a financial assistance of Rs.5 lakh to the next of kin of each deceased person. According to police, the accident took place around 5 pm when the group was returning to Ranjani village in Pandharpur taluka after offering prayers at the Siddhanath temple in Mhaswad, Satara, during the ongoing Purushottam Maas observance. Police said 16 people were travelling in the vehicle when the incident occurred near Tandulwadi village. "At least eight people, including women and children, died in the accident, while eight were rescued. Police teams immediately reached the spot and assisted in the rescue operation. The injured were shifted to hospital for treatment," said superintendent of police (Solapur Rural) Atul Kulkarni. Preliminary investigations suggest that the driver lost control of the vehicle near Tandulwadi, causing it to veer off the road and fall into a reservoir, located a few metres from the road. According to officials familiar with a matter, the reservoir, which was not secured by any railings, is constructed on a private land and meant to irrigate agricultural field. Solapur collector S Karthikeyan, who visited the accident site, said a detailed inquiry would be conducted. "We will investigate all aspects of the incident. Prima facie, the well appears to be very close to the road and adequate barricading was not in place. These issues are being examined," he said. Balaso Maruti Kadam, owner of the well, said that it was originally located away from the roadway but came closer after road widening and land acquisition for the project. "After the road construction, the road level was raised and the well came closer to the carriageway. I had informed the contractor and offered to cover the well if compensation was provided. I was assured that barricading would be installed, but that was never done," Kadam alleged, adding that he had repeatedly written to the administration about the issue. Chief minister Fadnavis expressed grief over the incident and announced an ex gratia payment of Rs.5 lakh each to the families of those killed in the accident. In a post on X, he described the tragedy as "extremely painful and heartbreaking" and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. The deceased have been identified as Pooja Amol Satore (23), Aarav Amol Satore (8), Sanskar Sandip Bavache (14), Indubai Bavache (60), Pooja Balaji Bavache (27), Ashwini Sandeep Bavache (27), Sanskriti Sandeep Bavache (14) and Samarth Balaji Bavache (6 months). According to police, all 15 occupants of the vehicle were residents of Ranjani village and relatives....