INDIA. Mumbai: In one of the worst road accidents in the recent past, 13 people died and 27 others were injured when a private bus fell into a 200 feet deep gorge at Borghat in Khopoli in the Raigad district of Maharashtra in the early hours of Saturday.
A troupe of “Dhol Tasha” (band) was on its way from Pune to Mumbai, when the driver of the bus, lost control of the vehicle on the old Mumbai-Pune highway, leading to the bus falling into the gorge. While the bus was reduced to smithereens, the driver, Harisharan Yadav, 40, died on the spot.
The injured have been admitted to the MGM Hospital in Navi Mumbai and a private hospital at Kalamboli, near Panvel. The deceased and injured include two girls each.
Soon after the accident, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde visited the spot and reviewed the rescue operations. He also visited the private hospital in Panvel’s Kalamboli and met with the victims of the bus accident.
Union Minister Amit Shah condoled the loss of lives in the road mishap and stated that he had spoken to Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in this regard. Taking to Twitter, Shah said, “The loss of lives in the road accident in Raigad, Maharashtra, is very sad. I talked to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in this regard. The local administration is engaged in relief work. I express my condolences to the families of the deceased and wish the injured a speedy recovery.”
Shah, who is on a two-day visit to Maharashtra, directed Shinde to hold a meeting with National Highway authorities to work out a way to avoid such accidents repeatedly occurring on highways. While the Maharashtra government announced an ex gratia of Rs 05 lakh to the next of kin, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who condoled the death, announced Rs 02 lakh from the PMNRF.
Passengers on the bus belonged to an organization from Goregaon in North Mumbai, that had gone to Pune for an event related to Ambedkar Jayanti and was on a return trip. They were in the age group of 14–28 years.
Soon after the accident, many voluntary hiker groups, including Yashwant Hikers, Shiv Durg Team, and Maval Rescue Team, rushed to the spot along with the Disaster Management Team from Shahapur and began rescue operations.
Speaking to media persons, Fadnavis said, “Those injured are under treatment. Those who lost their lives will get financial help from the government. An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident.”
The bus was seen sliding into a ditch in pictures taken on the scene. The crash left the vehicle’s windows and roof completely smashed. Ropes were observed being used by rescuers to lift the survivors out of the ditch and onto safe ground.
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