Bus carrying wedding guests turns turtle, 5 dead

Three other passengers were critically injured while the rest including the driver escaped with minor injuries

Navi Mumbai: A 45-seater private bus carrying wedding guests turned turtle on Friday at Tamhini Ghat near Mangaon, leading to the death of five passengers including the cleaner of the bus. Three other passengers were critically injured while the rest including the driver escaped with minor injuries.

Bus carrying wedding guests turns turtle, 5 dead

According to the police, the bus (registration number MH14GU 3405) started from Chakan in Pune at around 6.30am on Friday and was headed to Birwadi in Mahad. It overturned at around 9.45am while passing through Tamhini Ghat as the driver was unable to negotiate a sharp turn, a preliminary investigation by the police found.

“There are several sharp turns in the ghats and the area is prone to accidents. The driver lost control over the vehicle at one such sharp turn, it seems, and the bus overturned, with passengers trapped beneath,” said senior inspector Nivrutti Borhade from Mangaon police.

A rescue team reached the accident spot within 25 minutes and retrieved the dead bodies. The critically injured were shifted to Sassoon General Hospital in Pune while those with minor injuries were sent to the district hospital in Mangaon.

Police have registered a first information report (FIR) against the bus driver, Vijay Ramchandra Chavan, 48, who suffered head injuries in the accident and is undergoing treatment at the Mangaon government hospital. He has been booked under section 106(1) (causing death by negligence), 125 (A) and (B) (reckless and negligent acts) and 281 (rash driving) of the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and section 184 (driving a motor vehicle in a dangerous manner) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The FIR was registered on the basis of a complaint by Shivaji Maruti Jagtap, 51, one of the injured passengers who is undergoing treatment at the district hospital in Mangaon.

“We were supposed to reach the venue of my nephew’s son’s wedding by 11am. But rash and negligent driving caused the accident,” he told Hindustan Times from the hospital. The rescue operation was undertaken swiftly by volunteers, medical workers and the police, he said.

Among the five deceased, three were women, identified as Sangeeta Dhananjay Jadhav, 52; Shilpa Pradip Pawar, 42; and Vandana Sakpal Jadhav, 35. The two male deceased included Gaurav Ashok Danavade, a passenger, and bus cleaner Ganesh Ingle, 25.

Those critically injured included Sudha Ashok Mane, 60, Supriya Arun Mandre, 50, and Sunita Ashok Dhanvade, 50. Another 35 passengers onboard suffered minor injuries.