NAVI MUMBAI: At least 12 people, including children, were killed and 28 others sustained injuries after a luxury bus fell into a 500 feet deep gorge on the old Mumbai-Pune highway near Khopoli in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, on Saturday morning.
The mishap took place at around 4am when the bus, carrying 45 passengers, was returning from Pimpri Chinchwad to Mumbai.
Sixteen passengers have been rescued so far.
All the victims are from Goregaon, Virar and Mumbai areas. They had gone to attend a religious procession forming ‘Zaanj Pathak’. The death toll may rise.
The police and rescue team are struggling to retrieve the victims from the valley. The victims are from Baji Prabhu Vadak Group and Satish Dhuma Dholtasha Pathak. They were travelling in Goregaon Sukhkarta Travels bus.
The bus had left Pimpri Chinchwad around 1am.
Raigad additional superintendent of police Atul Zende said, “The rescue operation is on.”
The victims have been rushed to local hospital and the government hospital in Khopoli. Locals joined the rescue operation. The bus seems to have taken a wrong route towards Mumbai.
Mahararashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis expressed his condolences and said that chief minister Eknath Shinde has decided to give Rs 5 lakh ex-gratia to the families of the deceased.
“All the injured have been admitted to Khopoli Rural Hospital and MGM Hospital for immediate treatment and the local administration is coordinating their treatment. The state government will also bear the cost of treatment of the injured,” said Fadnavis in a tweet.
The deputy CM said that the state government is in constant touch with the collector and the superintendent of police and added, “according to the superintendent of police, there were members of Baji Prabhu Dhol team, Goregaon (Mumbai) in this private bus. (Agencies)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
