At least six people lost their lives after a sport utility vehicle (SUV) plunged into a 400-foot gorge along the Pune-Mangaon road near the Tamhini Ghat area in Raigad district of Maharashtra, said officials on Thursday.
According to initial reports, the accident likely occurred on Tuesday after the driver of the Mahindra Thar lost control following which the car plunged into the gorge. The officials had launched a rescue operation, but were facing hindrance because of the difficult nature of the terrain there. Later, they deployed drones to locate the exact accident site.
The victims, who were in the age group of 18 and 22 years, were returning from Pune when their SUV met with an accident near the Tamhini Ghat, which is a popular picnic spot near the Raigad district. Their bodies have been sent for post-mortem and will be handed over to the family members once the autopsies gets done, said officials.
"The parents of some of the men approached police after losing contact with them since Tuesday morning. Police traced their mobile phone locations to Tamhini Ghat, and personnel of Mangaon police station launched a search operation on Thursday morning," a police official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. "After coming across a broken safety railing along a curve in the road, police deployed a drone and found the SUV stuck in a tree in the valley."
A similar accident was reported earlier this month when a speeding car rammed into a pillar of the Bund Garden Metro Station in Pune, leading to the death of two people and injuring one other. The two deceased, the Pune Police said, were identified as Hrithik Bhandare and Yash Bhandare.
Officials said the accident occurred between 4.30 am and 5 am after the driver of the car lost control and crashed the car into the metro pillar. Police suspect that the driver and other occupants were drunk when the accident took place, adding that they registered a first information report (FIR) later.
