Mumbai, May 20 -- Five persons were killed and two others were injured when their speeding car plunged into a dry riverbed in Ratnagiri district in the early hours on Monday. The group was on its way to Devrukh in Ratnagiri to attend a funeral. According to the police, the group of seven passengers from two families left for Ratnagiri from the Indraprasth building in Poonam Sagar complex in Mira Road around 11.30pm on Sunday. They were travelling in a seven-seater car via the Mumbai-Goa highway. Between 5am and 5.30am on Monday, while the car was crossing the Jugbudi river bridge near Khed, it went out of control and crashed into the side wall before plunging into the gap between two carriageways of the bridge. Local residents and the police rescued the passengers from the mangled vehicle and rushed them to the hospital where five persons were declared dead on arrival. They were identified as Megha Paradkar, 42, Saurav Paradkar, 22, Mitali More, 45, Nihar More, 19 and Shreyas Sawant, 25. Parmesh Paradkar, 51, who was driving the car, sustained severe injuries and is under treatment while Vivek Shriram More, 47, suffered minor injuries. The latter told the police that they were travelling to Devrukh to attend the last rites of his father-in-law. "We have registered a case of accidental death and are investigating the matter," said an officer from the Khed police station. Ranvir Bajpai, a neighbour of the deceased and a Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) leader, said the entire housing complex in Mira Road was saddened by the sudden deaths. Parmesh Paradkar, who was driving the car, was a resident of Nalasopara and a family friend of the Mores who reside in the Indraprasth building, he said. "On Sunday night, Parmesh Paradkar, his wife Megha and relative Saurav had picked up the Mores from their residence and set out for Ratnagiri," said Bajpai. "After we heard the news of their accident, we informed the relatives of the Mores in Ratnagiri. They visited the spot and arranged to bring the bodies of the deceased to Mira Road." The last rites of the deceased would be performed in Mira Road on Monday night, he said. Meanwhile, in videos of the accident circulating on social media, local engaged in rescue efforts are heard saying that at least 14 accidents had occurred at the same spot on the bridge in the past one year due to a flaw in design. When speeding vehicles pass the spot, they tend to bounce due to which drivers lose balance and plunge into the gap between two carriageways which is not visible from a distance, the locals are heard saying. "After seeing the videos, we have sent letters to the concerned authorities to rectify the blackspot and avoid more loss of lives," said Bajpai. Vaibhav Khedekar, a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader from Khed, told HT that he had participated in a protest against frequent accidents at the spot in 2019. Dhananjay Kulkarni, Superintendent of Police in Ratnagiri, said the entire stretch of road near the accident spot was accident prone. "We installed blinkers and radium lights along the route today. We also barricaded the sides of the bridge with concrete blocks which will serve as early warning for speeding drivers speeding," he said....