At Least 33 Killed As Bus Falls Into 500-Feet-Deep Gorge In Raigad

Thirty-three passengers were feared killed after a private bus carrying employees of Konkan Krishi Vidyapeeth, Dapoli plunged into a 500-feet-deep gorge at Ambenali ghat area in Poladpur in Maharashtra's Raigad district on Saturday morning. They were travelling to Mahabalshwar. The rescue teams are busy in recovering the bodies. Only one person who was thrown out from window of bus was saved in the accident.

According to Prakash Sawant-Desai, the loan survivor from the bus, the driver of the bus turned back for a second to talk with passengers and the bus fell in the gorge.

Desai was thrown out of bus from window and stuck to the branches of a tree downside. He later managed to come on road after half-an hour and later informed the college about accident.

"All the passengers were travelling and chitchatting with each other while crossing the ghat section. The driver turned back to give response to joke of one of the passengers for a second and before we could understand anything, the bus fell in the gorge. I was thrown outside the bus," said Desai.

Sandip Patil, superintendent of police, Satara district, said, "Immediately after we got information about the incident, we sent our police teams from Mahabaleshwar, Wail and Satara, including deputy superintendent and police inspectors at the spot. The teams of district disaster management along with local rescue teams including Mahabaleshwar trekkers from Mahabaleshwar were sent on the spot."

PTI

"It is difficult for teams from Raigad district to reach the spot, hence we co-ordinated with our counterparts and sent our teams at the spot. The police teams from Mahad will be reaching soon at the spot," he said.

"The initial information we have received suggests that all the 33 persons that were in bus have been killed in the accident,¡± he said.

The NDRF team from Pune has been rushed to the accident spot to help the rescue operation.