At least five people, including women and a child, were killed and more than 20 seriously injured when a private bus overturned near Khandala along the old Mumbai-Pune highway early on Monday.
According to police authorities, the bus (MH04 FK 1599) was proceeding from Karad in Satara to Mumbai when the driver lost control around 5:30 a.m. while trying to navigate through the winding Bhor Ghat, around 75 km from Pune city. The ghat’s treacherous turns have been the cause of several accidents in the past.
The bus careened off the road and plunged into a valley, overturning and hitting trees and the surrounding vegetation. The severity of the accident caused the front of the bus to be completely mangled, its windows smashed, while the rear wheels detached themselves from the axle.
The deceased have been identified as Pramila Mohite, 50, a resident of Belavale in Kolhapur district, Sneha Patil, 15, and her father, Janardhan Patil, 50, both residents of Ghatkopar in Mumbai, Sanjay Rakshe, 50, a resident of Powai, and Sarvadnya Thorat, 3, a resident of Karad in Satara.
The injured persons, who were rescued by authorities and members from social outfits, were rushed to the M.G.M. Hospital near Kamothe, the Pawana Hospital near Somatane Phata and the Lokmanya Hospital in Nighdi among others.
“At least 12 to 13 persons among the 25 or so injured have suffered especially grievous injuries and are undergoing treatment at a number of hospitals near the express highway,” said an official from the Pune Rural police.
