Three people were killed and 67 were suspected to have sustained injuries after a tempo skidded off the ghat at Kudpan in Poladpur on the Mumbai-Goa highway and fell into a gorge of around 70 feet late on Friday evening.
According to the police, the tempo carrying around 70 people was returning to Ratnagiri from a marriage ceremony in Satara. At the time of going to press, rescue operations were on by volunteers from Madat group in Ratnagiri and Salunkhe group in Mahad.
“The volunteering groups are trained by the NDRF. Besides, police personnel from Khed in Ratnagiri, Mahad and Poladpur, and tehsildars from Khed and Poladpur are on the spot. Poor visibility poses a challenge,” Raigad district Collector Nidhi Chaudhary said.
“The cause of the accident could be either overloading or the slippery road due to the recent unseasonal rain. The particular ghat is otherwise too accident prone,” Ms. Chaudhari said.
The deceased have been identified as Tukaram Jhore (40), Harishchandra Bhavesh Hogade (22) and Vithoba Bhagoshi Jhore (65). Injured passengers are under treatment at rural hospitals in Poladpur, Mahad, Mangaon and Khadki. Six of them, who were seriously injured, have been admitted to the district hospital at Alibaug and MGM hospital in Kamothe.
