Maharashtra: 8 dead as SUV plunges into deep gorge in Ambenali Ghat

Officers contacted the District Disaster Management Office seeking assistance from the National Disaster Response Force to help expedite the rescue

Eight persons were killed on Monday after an SUV plunged into a deep gorge in Maharashtra’s Ambenali Ghat section on the Poladpur-Mahabaleshwar route in Raigad district.

Rescue teams rushed to the scene after receiving information about the crash. (HT Sourced Photo)

According to preliminary information, the accident took place around 2.45am when the Scorpio was travelling from Konkan region toward Satara district. The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle in the Ambenali Ghat stretch and fell hundreds of feet deep into a valley, police said.

Rescue teams rushed to the scene after receiving information about the crash.

Police said eight bodies were spotted in the gorge and were being retrieved.

“So far, two bodies have been recovered, while efforts are underway to retrieve another body through the upper route. The remaining five bodies are expected to be brought out through the base of the valley, passing through Dabhil village, a process estimated to take several hours,” said Anchal Dala, superintendent of police, Raigad.

The terrain was too dense and deep for helicopter operations, police said.

However, officers contacted the District Disaster Management Office (DDMO) seeking assistance from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to help expedite the rescue and recovery operation.

All eight occupants of the vehicle died on the spot, police said. Seven of the deceased were residents of Asgaon, Marde and Khatav in Satara district and the eighth was a resident of Borgaon village in Ratnagiri district.

The deceased are identified as - Ansh Sameer Chavan (19), a resident of Borgaon, Chiplun taluka of Ratnagiri district; Ritesh Rajendra Lokhande (22), Suhas Jitendra Lokhande (20), Mahesh Anil Pawar (25) and Aditya Ashok Salunkhe (21) - all residents of Asgaon in Satara district; Utkarsh Anand Shingte (21) and Nikhil Abhimanyu Shingte (25), both residents of Marde, Satara district and Rajesh Ashok Katkar (35), a resident of Khatav, Satara district.

Police said the Ambenali Ghat stretch has witnessed several fatal accidents in the past, including a bus accident a few years ago.