Eight dead as SUV plunges into gorge near Mahabaleshwar

In a press note issued late at night on Monday, the Raigad police said all eight bodies had been retrieved during a 20-hour operation

NAVI MUMBAI/PUNE: Eight young men died on Sunday after the SUV they were traveling in plunged into a deep gorge in the Ambenali Ghat section near Mahabaleshwar in Raigad district. The accident occurred around 5.30am on Sunday but police were informed only around 11.30pm, after family members of the deceased failed to reach them over the phone. Rescue efforts began on Sunday night itself, but stretched throughout the day on Monday due to the difficult terrain, confusion over the discovery of another accident-hit vehicle and the presence of bee hives near the spot where some bodies were located.

When the operation resumed on Monday morning, another old accident-hit vehicle was spotted in the valley, briefly creating confusion

In a press note issued late at night on Monday, the Raigad police said all eight bodies had been retrieved during a 20-hour operation.

According to the police, the group left from a beach in Dapoli around 2am on Sunday after travelling the entire day on Saturday and were en route to Satara via the Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar route. When they reached near Dabhil Point in the Ambenali Ghat stretch around 5.30am on Sunday, the driver lost control of the vehicle, a Scorpio, and it plunged nearly 1,000-1,200 feet into the valley, the Raigad police press note said.

The accident spot was located on a wide turn and there appeared to be no obvious engineering defect at the site, police officials said. Fatigue, speeding, alcohol consumption or the driver falling asleep at the wheel may have led to the crash, they noted.

Five bodies were spotted using drone surveillance, following which rescue teams began retrieval operations from multiple routes. The remaining bodies were located in an area surrounded by heavy bee hives, forcing teams to pause operations until local tribals cleared the area safely.

Multiple teams participated in the 20-hour rescue operation, including Pratapgad Rescue Trekkers, Mahad Siscamp Rescue Team, Roha Rescue Team, Narveer Rescue Team, Kalbhairavnath Rescue Team, Mahabaleshwar Trekkers, and villagers from Devale, Halbule and Lahulse.

Police said seven of the deceased were residents of Asgaon, Marde and Khatav villages in Satara district while the eighth was a resident of Borgaon village in Ratnagiri district. The Ambenali Ghat stretch had witnessed several fatal accidents in the past, including a major bus tragedy a few years ago, they noted.

Speaking to the media, Rajesh Lokhande, father of deceased Ritesh Lokhande, said the group had left for Satara late at night despite repeated warnings from family members. That was the last time he had spoken to his son, he said.