E-Paper
Car falls into 500-foot gorge in Varandha Ghat; one from Pune dead
A car plunged 500 feet into a ravine in Varandha Ghat, killing one and injuring eight. Police suspect driver error; investigation ongoing.
A Mahad-to-Bhor bound car plunged nearly 500 feet into a ravine near a curve at Umbardewadi in the Varandha Ghat section around 4 am on Monday, leaving one person dead and eight others injured. Highway police confirmed that all commuters are residents of Pune, and an investigation is underway to determine the cause of the crash.
The deceased has been identified as Shubham Shirke (22), a resident of Janata Vasahat, Pune. The injured include Mangesh Gujar (26) from Dattawadi; Ashok Gaikwad (29) from Bhavani Peth; Siddharth Gandhane (26) a resident of Dandekar Bridge; Saurabh Mahade (22) a Parvati native; Ganesh Lawande (27) from Dhayari; Abhishek Relekar (25) of Narayan Peth; Yashraj Chandralokul (22) from Ghorpade Peth and Akash Adkar (25) from Dattanagar.
The Bhor Police, with help from the Shirgaon rescue team and local villagers, carried out a rescue operation and transported the victims to the Bhor Sub-District Hospital. The deceased was sent for post-mortem.
The rescue operation involved police personnel, including constables Rahul Makhare, Sunil Chavan, and Sagar Zende, alongside locals such as Bhau Umbratkar, Vitthal Pol, and Akshay Dhumal. Their swift efforts helped in retrieving the injured from the ravine.
Bhor Police Station in-charge Anna Pawar said, “Upon receiving information, local residents and police rushed to the scene to pull the injured out and transport them to safety. The Shirgaon rescue team provided critical assistance.”
Pawar added, “Initial findings suggest that the victims were travelling to Bhor for work. The accident appears to have been caused by the driver miscalculating a curve in Varandha Ghat. A case of rash and negligent driving has been registered, and further investigation is ongoing.”
